1963: The BIG FREEZE | Tonight | Science and Nature | BBC Archive

Derek Hart looks at the big freeze of 1963, one of the coldest winters on record in the UK, when it snowed from December '62 to February '63.
 
During this period there was snow on the ground for 60 days, with chaos on the roads and railways. The long bitterly cold spell caused lakes and rivers to freeze, even turning sea water in some of England's harbours to ice.

Clip taken from Tonight, originally broadcast on BBC Television, Tuesday 31 December, 1963.

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[jennil]

It was the best winter of my childhood! No school for over two months, sledging, snowballing and ice slides and sleeping on our mattresses dragged to the sitting room to stay warm by the coal fire . Tough on my mother trying to make meals when the shops ran out of supplies and there were no deliveries though, and even more on my policeman father on foot patrol through heavy snow for hours at a stretch.

[holaclive]

I remember that winter, I was seven. We used to go to school in short trousers 😂
COLD 😂

[philipmilner]

Winters were long, but so were the summer days.

[NorthernsoulBoy]

Was born Jan 1st 63 I was cold then and still am. 😢

[Funeeman]

Boy this brings back shivering memories. I left school that year.

[MrDaiseymay]

There was an excellent documentary on BBC TV a few nights ago, about that other terrible winter, 1947. I was 5 yrs old. That year was worse, because, not only were houses poorly built and those that survived the blitz, had no Central Heating (usually just one coal fire) NO Double Glazing, or insulation of any kind. Outside toilet, which froze solid, breaking the toilet bowl, and caste Iron Cistern. Water pipes froze then burst.
On top of this, many things were still on ration, including Coal. We had to walk to the coal depot with our own buckets, old prambs and trollys, waite in huge queues for out rations worth, then push /carry it all home. Much of that coal had gravel and stones in it, which exploaded once hot enough, and shoot accross the room like bullets. It was called by the people, ''Nutty Slack''. There were no huge snow clearing machines then. like buldozers etc, well I never saw any. I too couldn't go to school, Although the playground was seen from my bedroom window, but many schools were closed, because there was no heating fuel. 1963 was very bad for many, but 1947 was worse, because of the above shortages and home conditions etc

[davidpeters]

In these days very few people had central heating as we know it today, never mind double glazing. I remember it well and still have pictures of me sledging.

[tjm]

I was 7 years old, we lived in SE London, I remember Dad thawing out the pipe that fed water to the tank on our toilet.
Our only heat was an open coal fire in the living room and a Paraffin heater in the kitchen. At night we would take rubber hot water bottles with us to bed. Upstairs bedrooms were below freezing, I remember a glass of water by my bed having ice on it :-(

[keithdeley]

I remember it well, it lasted for weeks but we still went to school,

[TopOfThePopsFan]

I remember this, snow drifted up the house.

[CHUTNEX]

The winter my sister was born (Feb 63) my mother had vivid memories of it and the advice given to her about caring for a baby in such low temperatures.

[richardsmith]

I was twelve and loved every minute of it. Sledging, skating, and endless fun. We didn’t have frozen pipes and we had enough coal. Everyone we knew still got to work. This was my happiest winter.

[emmsue]

I just about remember this, it was clear at bedtime but when we woke it was windowsill height. I opened the front door in all innocence to have a look & four foot of snow fell in!! I was told to help get it out & had the brain to fetch the shovel.. This of course entailed opening the back door to find one in the shed. LOL Happy days. The milk man still delivered, we were lucky enough to have a some coal & food in. Thick ice inside the windows though, especially upstairs.

[hawsrulebegin]

My wife was born that year. Explains her cold cold ruthless heart.

[alexandercameron]

I delivered morning newspapers in 2ft deep snow in Dumfries, Scotland as a 12 yr old schoolboy and never missed a delivery because of weather that year. My thighs would become bright red and felt numb, as in those days there was no specialist winter clothing. I wore denim jeans, one pair of socks and wellington boots.Two jerseys, a liberty bodice and a cheap anorak that got soaking wet. A pair of woollen gloves, no hat, so my ears felt frozen and you could probably snap them off😀.

[KiltedGreen]

In north Norfolk my younger brother and I made snow pies on the beach but I don’t remember much more than that.

[daveac]

Remember that winter - ice on the inside of your bedroom windows (single glazed glass of course)

[Justacollectionofrpms]

I remember as a 9 year old along with my brother helping to dig out my dad's van so he could get to work. Today the country would ground to a halt

[geraldaird]

I completely missed the freeze as I was in hospital for most of that time, 7 weeks more or less. The wards were nice and warm too. Trouble was, when you are ten going on eleven, hospitals can be boring, by the time I went home, all the snow was gone, no slides, barricades and snowball fights.

[lindathomas]

My mum used to talk about this winter, large swathes of Cornwall were cut off.. villages helped dig out the lanes so that farmers could get the milk delivered.. there’s some old black and white footage of it on BFI 30 or 40 villagers digging out the farmer and his milk..😄