Showers past and present

While geocaching with a friend in Tunbridge Wells we visited this not particularly noteworthy church; St James. The sun came out after heavy rain shower giving me the opportunity to dash round the church yard with my camera.

Of some interest is this report of the first ceremony to take place at the site; the laying of the foundation stone, from the Tunbridge Wells Gazette in 1861 and copied from the church website.

“The ceremony was scarcely performed when a very smart, pelting hail shower drove some away and compelled others to take refuge under the best shelter they could find. Just as the hail commenced to fall, some of the scaffolding (built up to hold the seating) gave way with some noise. A number of persons were on it and underneath it and fears were entertained lest some person should have suffered an injury. Though several were compelled to cling to the scaffold and others fell eight to ten feet, happily no hurt was sustained by a single individual. The falling hail and broken scaffold merely causing a temporary confusion unusual on such occasions”.

Not unlike the weather we have been having recently