The Great Frost of 1683–1684 was a frost across

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, reported as the worst in its history. During the Frost, the surface of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

was reported as frozen to the depth of . The Great Frost enabled one of the River Thames frost fairs. Entertainment on the frozen Thames as result of the Great Frost began the career of

Chipperfield's Circus ] Chipperfield's Circus is a British family touring show, continuing a 300-year-old family business. Chipperfield's Circus originates with James Chipperfield with his performing animals at the River Thames frost fairs, Thames Frost Fair of 1 ...

. A Great Frost Fair was also held in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

, when the

River Aire The River Aire is a major river in Yorkshire, England, in length. The ''Handbook for Leeds and Airedale'' (1890) notes that the distance from Malham to Howden is direct, but the river's meanderings extend that to . Between Malham Tarn and Ai ...

froze solid for a month allowing a fair with an ox-roast and sports to take place, as described by

Ralph Thoresby Ralph Thoresby (16 August 1658 – 16 October 1725) was an antiquarian, who was born in Leeds and is widely credited with being the first historian of that city. Besides being a merchant, he was a nonconformist, fellow of the Royal Society, di ...

. See also: Little Ice Age.

References

External links

Contemporary reports of the 1683-1684 frost
1683 in England 1684 in England Cold waves in the United Kingdom {{disaster-stub