1938 Floods 

Undoubtably, the worst disaster to strike Horsey in living memory.

A brief summary of events is below, and then we'll deal with the Floods in greater depth, and include many memories of those who lived through the ordeal.

During 1938, Horsey was flooded several times. The breach in the sand hills was 1/2 mile wide and covered an area of 7,500 acres for a period of three months. the dates were:

February 13th: A north-westerly gale, accompanied by abnormally high tides and a full moon, resulted in the sea breaking through at Horsey and flooding an area of fifteen square miles.

February 18th: The village of Horsey was partially evacuated owing to floods.

March 1st: New defences at Horsey broken by high tides.

April 3rd: New defences at Horsey again submerged by high tide.

When the waters finally receded, only 27 acres were not affected in some way by salt, which meant that the land could not be farmed for 5 years, causing widespread unemployment in the village.

The piling, strengthened by sand and shingle, was used to block the gap. This was reasonably successful, as during further flooding in 1938, Horsey escaped the worst of the damage, other areas bearing the brunt. But it was apparent that the area must be further protected, and work commenced on a concrete wall. Since that was done, no further damage has occurred.