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Victims of the Great Sheffield Flood of 1864 remembered

Malcolm Nunn Low Matlock WheelMalcolm Nunn
The flood devastated several communities in the Sheffield area, destroying 43 mills

The 160th anniversary of a flood in which more than 250 people drowned and 5,000 homes were put under water has been marked in South Yorkshire.

The Great Sheffield Flood of 1864 happened when the Dale Dyke Dam at Bradfield collapsed on 11 March.

More than 690 million gallons (3.14 billion litres) of water from the collapsed dam surged towards the city.

On Saturday Colin Ross, Lord Mayor of Sheffield, laid a wreath for the flood victims at Sheffield general cemetery.

Lord mayor and memorial stone
A weekend of events is taking place to remember those who died and the damage done

Sheffield General Cemetery Trust said a weekend of activities to mark the tragedy would include an exhibition attended by ancestors of some of the flood victims, along with a new publication and a performance, to make "the story of the flood better known".

A spokesperson for the trust said as well as the loss of life and destroyed homes, 40 children were orphaned.

"It was a catastrophe that has perhaps been forgotten by present day Sheffield residents and those further afield.

"Sheffield changed forever that night, whether by an act of nature or human error," they said.

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