TWO DWELLINGS STRUCK

Serious Lightning Damage in Swansea

South Wales Daily Post, July 1924

South Wales Daily Post

Swansea was visited on Monday evening by a short but exceedingly sharp thunderstorm, following upon the heavy rains that had drenched the town throughout Sunday and Monday. At about seven o’clock the sky grew ominously dark, and distant rumblings rolled in from the direction of the Bay. By 7.45 p.m., the storm broke in earnest, a heavy clap and a great blue flash startling inhabitants across the borough — not least those gathered in the town’s places of amusement, where the sudden illumination caused a moment of alarm.

The lightning descended with destructive force upon Nos. 17 and 18 Chaddesley‑terrace, near Mount Pleasant, the dwellings of Mr. Owen, tailor, and Mr. T. Bowes. A tall chimney was shattered outright, its wreckage hurled in all directions. The roofs of both houses were pierced, and considerable damage was done to the interior rooms. A curious circumstance was noted by many: wireless aerials were fixed upon each of the houses adjoining those struck, a detail that provoked much discussion among residents.

£200 DAMAGES 

When a “Post” reporter visited Chaddesley‑terrace on Tuesday morning, masons were already at work repairing the havoc. At Mr. Bowen’s house, where the chimney had been demolished, the destruction — estimated at roughly £200, a sum equal to about £9,400 in modern value — was extensive.

Fire grates had been blown out in every room; in the front bedroom the grate and mantelpiece were completely dislodged and smashed. In the middle bedroom and parlour, the grates were similarly torn from their fittings. The kitchen window, though shielded by a light wall, had been broken, its catch snapped clean away. The roof, and that of the neighbouring house, had suffered severe injury.

Fortunately, the house was unoccupied at the time, the family residing temporarily in a bungalow at the Mumbles. Mr. Bowen expressed profound relief that no member of the household had been present to face the peril. The incident created quite a sensation in the district, and throughout Tuesday large numbers of sightseers made their way to the terrace to inspect the damage.

FLOOD AT BISHOPSTON

Meanwhile, the heavy rains wrought further mischief beyond the town. At Bishopston, the stream that winds through the village overflowed its banks, causing great inconvenience to residents and travellers alike. A lorry travelling from Llansamlet and Bishopston for Parcell was compelled to turn back to Bishopston School, the road ahead rendered impassable by the rising waters.

Milk carts, taxis, and other traffic were similarly forced to retreat, and coaches — as so often happens in foul weather — were unable to reach the Mumbles. Floods of this description, the locals observed with weary familiarity, occur in the district practically whenever heavy rain descends.