Yarmouth’s Darkest Day Since the Plague | The 1845 Bridge Disaster

Yarmouth’s Darkest Day Since the Plague | The 1845 Bridge Disaster
News of the Times | Episode 581 | 1845

What began as a light-hearted Victorian spectacle — a clown in a tub drawn by four geese — became one of the worst civilian disasters in British history.

In 1845, hundreds gathered on Great Yarmouth’s suspension bridge to witness a novelty act. Within minutes, the bridge collapsed, sending a crowd — mostly women and children — plunging into the River Bure. Nearly 100 people lost their lives in a tragedy the press would call “a judgment too dreadful to be forgotten.”

In this episode, we uncover:
The bizarre origins of the event
Eyewitness horror and miraculous escapes
The haunting aftermath: legal confusion, public grief, and buried truths
How one young survivor described stabbing his way to safety beneath the water

And in this week’s Further Particulars, we leave tragedy behind to share the most curious Victorian headlines of 1845 — from exploding cotton bales to a pheasant illegally entering a workhouse.
Frankly, it's the best Victorian Twitter feed we’ve ever read.

📜 Join us as we walk the fog-bound quays of Yarmouth on its darkest day. A story of broken chains, a grieving town, and a spectacle gone terribly, fatally wrong.

👤 Hosted by Robin Coles

📅 New episodes: Monday, Wednesday & Friday
🎞️ Long-form historical crime compilations: Final Sunday of every month

📚 Related cases from the archive:
1845: The Shapwick Poisoner - Sarah Freeman | Ep175
https://youtu.be/NfR4QR2uqGE
1845 - 1895: Fatal Attractions | Ep177
https://youtu.be/CHRQZJ486mo
1842: Bad Daniel Good | Ep188
https://youtu.be/B4YxkMmmpDU

❤️ Support Independent History
If you enjoy our ad-free, archive-based storytelling, help us keep the lantern lit:

👉 **Patreon** – Full archive, early access, bonus compilations (and it keeps us independent):
https://www.patreon.com/NewsOfTheTimesHistoricalCrime

☕ Prefer a one-off thank-you? We LOVE a posh coffee indulgence! We tip our top hats:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd

🕯 About the Channel
We’re an independent team of historical researchers and narrators specialising in 18th to early 20th century British true crime. Each episode is based entirely on archival material — from

Hear about our ad-free archive on Patreon – 650+ episodes and counting! 🎩 https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Fancy a chuckle between corpses? Discover our first lovingly illustrated volume of wildly unreliable memoirs.

Grab it here: https://ko-fi.com/s/b406f6f11e

Support us on Patreon for ad-free early access and exclusive bonus episodes.

https://www.patreon.com/c/NewsoftheTimesHistoricalCrime

Support the show

Thanks for listening! You can also connect with us on
Our YouTube Channel: | https://www.youtube.com/@newsofthetimes
Our Facebook Page: | https://www.facebook.com/News-of-the-Times-101108282697405
Have a question or comment? Get in touch with us at [e-mail]
If you would like to donate, we love coffee! Warmly appreciated :-) | https://www.buymeacoffee.com/newsofthetd