From our archive: Market Harborough's Wartnaby Street bobsleigh run in 1947

The '˜big freeze' of 1947 meant that parents and children had had their lives put on ice.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Feb 2017, 16:01 BST
Updated 1st Mar 2017, 08:30 BST
Children in Wartnaby Street in Market Harborough prepare to race down the street on their sledgesChildren in Wartnaby Street in Market Harborough prepare to race down the street on their sledges
Children in Wartnaby Street in Market Harborough prepare to race down the street on their sledges

Making the most of the conditions were youngsters who had made Wartnaby Street, in Harborough, into a toboggan run. With time off school due to the bad weather, the pupils had been holding competitions down the hilly road.

More than 1,000 workers in the area had been forced to stay at home as coal rationing had disabled local industries.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Unemployment had risen as temperatures plummeted, with fuel unable to reach the factories leaving them with no power.

Food processors W. Symington had been allowed to carry on throughout the freeze.

Related topics:Market HarboroughUnemployment