Title

Great Fire at Bristol, 1850. Creator: Unknown.

Caption

Great Fire at Bristol, 1850. 'At Hillsbridge-wharf...on the [River] Avon...an immense fire was raging, sending up large flashes through the half-consumed roof high up into the atmosphere, and spreading myriads of sparks in all directions...Between the spectator and the fire lay the bridge of the Bristol and Exeter Railway...upon which...one of the railway engines was standing!...a vast mass of dense sombre clouds had gathered, from which every now and then the lightning flashed vividly, making even the fire pale by contrast....There could not have been less than 15,000 or 16,000 people [at] available spots where a view of the conflagration could be had...shouting, hooting, and giving utterance to a complete Babel of sounds....A heavy shower of rain fell at twelve o'clock, and, continuing for some time, effectually stayed the flames...'. From "Illustrated London News", 1850.

Credit line

Photo12/Heritage Images/The Print Collector

Reference

HRM22A33_296

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

License type

Rights managed

Available size

45,8Mb (3,8Mb) / 16,5in x 10,7in / 4960 x 3224 (300dpi)

Keywords

weather storm transport transportation river building buildings England people crowd crowds railways train night spectators bridge bridges burning fire spectator British geography railway dramatic structure lighting accident railway line Victorian century railway tracks Britain train track steam train onlookers newspapers railway track press concept incident Avon River Avon Bristol time of day B&W engraved engraving railway bridge 19th century black & white black and white B W on fire onlooker nineteenth century steam locomotive The Print Collector geographical feature Illustrated London News TGN ILN newspaper Unknown 19th-century