Thursday 14th May 2026  

Floods in Soar Road, Quorn

The first of these two photographs was taken in 1979 after the River Soar had flooded onto Soar Road and then iced over. One can only imagine how dangerous it was!
Note that in 1979 there were still windows in the high wall that once formed part of a stable block.

The second photograph was taken in November 2012 and shows severe flooding in the same spot, despite there having been extensive flood prevention measures.

Throughout history Quorn has suffered widespread flooding due to the shallow natural gradient of the River Soar. This was exacerbated in the late 18th century when locks and weirs were constructed as part of the Leicester Navigation (later the Grand Union) and the canalisation of the river. Flood prevention work, known as The Soar Valley Improvement Scheme, commenced in 1984 and was completed in 1995. It has alleviated most flooding in the village, but has not been totally successful on Soar Road.

Submitted on: 2023-05-29 Submitted by: Geoffrey Smith Artefact ID: 2539 Artefact URL: www.quornmuseum.com/display.php?id=2539 Print: View artefact in printer-friendly page or just on its own (new browser tab).