Think it’s cold now? Imagine icebergs floating down the river in King’s Lynn

Chris Bishop

Published: 11:42 AM March 1, 2018

Updated: 11:27 AM October 10, 2020

In the past few weeks, patches of Ice have become a common sight, the EDP noted in December 1981, when our photographer pictured Keith Brown on an iceberg in the middle of the river. Pictures: Archant archive - Credit: Archant

So you think it's cold now? Just imagine icebergs floating down the river through the middle of King's Lynn.

Long serving ferryman, Reg Hare, negotiates the ice floes on the Great Ouse as he brings the West Lynn ferry into the King's Lynn jetty in January 1979. - Credit: Eastern Daily Press, Archant

Prolonged cold snaps early in 1979 and 1981 saw ice floes form upstream of the town.

Reg Hare, Lynn's long-serving ferryman, had to carefully pick his way through them as they came down on the outgoing tide.

The tidal Ouse doesn't freeze because of its constantly-changing water levels.

But the river upstream of Denver Sluice can ice over, along with its main tributaries the Wissey, Little Ouse and Lark.

est Lynn ferry negotiates ice on the Great Ouse as it appropaches the Lynn jetty in January 1979. - Credit: Eastern Daily Press, Archant

Reporting on the ice in 1979, the EDP of the time noted that it was the first time floes had been sighted on the river in Lynn since the winter of 1962 - 63.

The phenmomenon is unlikely to occur again this year, as temperatures are expected to start creeping back above freezing again by the end of the week.