The Great Tide

On the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 a severe storm coincided with a high spring tide in the North Sea, and the resulting tidal surge caused great devastation all along the east coast. The worst hit communities in Essex were Canvey Island, where 58 died, and Jaywick, where 37 people were killed. A major operation was mounted to rescue as many people from the flooded areas as possible. 

In 2023, to mark the 70th anniversary of the flood, we reprinted The Great Tide by assistant archivist Hilda Grieve, the definitive history of the flood.

We also created education packs for schoolchildren in Canvey Island, Jaywick, and Harwich, and participated in commemorative events in Canvey Library and Harwich Museum.

You can find the education packs in the Resources section of our website and the reprint of The Great Tide in our bookshop.

For more information about the flood and the records we preserve, take a look at our blog.