The London Beer Flood happened on 16 October 1814 in the parish of St. Giles, London, England. At the Meux and Company Brewery[1] on Tottenham Court Road, a huge vat containing over 135,000 imperial gallons (610,000 L) of beer ruptured, causing other vats in the same building to succumb in a domino effect. As a result, more than 323,000 imperial gallons (1,470,000 L) of beer burst out and gushed into the streets. The wave of beer destroyed two homes and crumbled the wall of the Tavistock Arms Pub, trapping teenage employee Eleanor Cooper under the rubble.
History
The brewery was among the poor houses and tenements of the St Giles Rookery, where whole families lived in basement rooms that quickly filled with beer. At least seven people drowned in the flood or died from injuries.
The brewery was eventually taken to court over the accident, but the disaster was ruled to be an Act of God by the judge and jury, leaving no one responsible. The company found it difficult to cope with the financial implications of the disaster, with a significant loss of sales made worse because they had already paid duty on the beer. They made a successful application to Parliament reclaiming the duty which allowed them to continue trading.
The brewery was demolished in 1922, and today, the Dominion Theatre occupies a part of the site of the former brewery. In 2012, a local tavern the ‘Holborn Whippet’ has started to mark this event with a specially created vat of Porter brewed especially for the day.
Known Drowning Fatalities
Name…………….Age
Clint Scroggins……52
Eleanor Cooper….15-16
Hannah Bamfield…….4
Catherine Butler…..63
Elizabeth Smith……27
Mary Mulvey……….30
Thomas Mulvey………3
Every Woman Dreams... 
Nicola Cornick’s MISTRESS BY MiDNIGHT features the London Beer Flood. The hero and heroine are caught up in it.
I thought that much! While reading your post I was thinking of “Mistress by Midnight”!
“I thought as much” of course! Can I have a button for amendments next time? 😀
In speaking of the Regency, there are a limited number of events we authors can use. I am pleased you could relate the event to another tale.
I, too, enjoyed Nicola’s Mistress by Midnight.
I set up my posts several months in advance. I discovered Nicola’s had used the London Beer Flood as a plot device after the fact. LOL!
I had never heard of it. And even tho’ very sad in that there were deaths and homes destroyed one just never thinks of beer in that context. Great info.
It was an oddity I could not resist bringing to everyone’s attention.
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