An unusual event with a tragic ending, which went down in history as the "London Beer Flood".
The incident unfolded at the intersection of Tottenham Court and Oxford streets, in the West End of Central London. The seat of the Mayox brewery existed there since 1764 (Meux), owned by Sir Henry Meux, Conservative MP. The factory, which mainly produced dark beer (porter), dominated a slum, which belonged to the parish of St Giles in the Fields.
At 6 pm on October 17, 1814, a large wooden tank, six meters high, containing 600 tons of beer, burst due to age and caused a chain of other smaller tanks to break. The wave, which looked like a tsunami, knocked down one of the walls of the factory and about 1,500 tons of beer rushed out into the street. The shout was heard up to eight kilometers away, according to witnesses of the time.
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In its path, the tsunami washed away two poor houses and caused the wall of a pub to collapse, trapping 14-year-old waitress Elinor Cooper in its rubble. At the same time, when dozens of small ground floor and basement apartments were flooded, some of the residents tried with buckets and other suitable means to collect the beer, since, as they said, such a gift from God should not go to waste. Nine people in total lost their lives from this unusual flood, among them the 14-year-old waitress Elinor Cooper. The last from toxic poisoning, days later. Apparently he would try to hold back the flood by drinking as much beer as he could.
The event caused a sensation in London and thousands of curious people began to gather at the scene of the tragedy. Some of the victims' relatives thought to take advantage and brought their loved ones out into public view by paying a ticket. The police intervened and decided to put an end to the macabre exhibition. The funerals of the victims took place the next day (October 18, 1814) and the expenses were covered by a collection of the parishioners of Agios Aegidis.
According to Sansimera, the authorities brought the company's officials to justice. Judges and juries, however, acquitted them, after accepting that the tragic event was the product of force majeure and the deaths a random event. The company was temporarily in dire financial straits as it had prepaid fees and taxes on the lost quantities of beer. He appealed to Parliament and succeeded in their return, and as a result it continued to operate normally until 1961, when it changed hands.
The Mayox Brewery building was demolished in 1922 and in its place today stands the Dominion Theatre. (Dominion), in the heart of the West End, London's famous theater district.
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