Rushden Research Group: house damaged by drought 1921

Damaged by drought

Northampton Independent, 1921.

The drought has been responsible for many ills, and at Rushden it has caused a fine old stone house on the Bedford Road, occupied by Mrs. Scroxton, to crack and it is in danger of collapsing.

The subsoil of clay on which it stands has shrunk in consequence of the prolonged drought and cracks have appeared which has caused the foundations to shift, with the result that the walls have cracked and are bulging badly, whilst the ceiling of one of the bedrooms has collapsed. As the photograph shows, the walls are now held up by props and struts.

the house in Bedford Road damaged by drought

Rushden Echo, 12^th August 1921 , transcribed by Kay Collins

Damage by Drought—A stone house on the west side of the Bedford-road, occupied by Mrs. Scroxton, has been seriously damaged as the result of the prolonged drought. The house, which is situated at the southern extremity of the town, stands in a garden a little higher than the roadway. The drought has affected the sub-soil of clay, and a spring has dried up. The walls of the house show serious signs of bulging, and a number of props have had to be used, whilst the southern bed-room ceiling has dropped in.