Old pictures of the winter of 1962 and 1963 in west Dorset

But this close to December 25 is as good a time as any to remember when Bridport was under a blanket of snow back in the winter of 1962 and 1963.

These are just some of the many pictures from our archives originally shared with us by Bryan Sefton-Smith from South Mill Lane.

Click into our picture gallery above to see the pictures full size

Back in the well remembered winter of 1962 and 1963, Mr Sefton-Smith was assistant divisional surveyor at the Bridport Depot of the then roads and bridges department in South Street.

As you can see, the approach to Morcombelake was pretty impressive.

The approach to Morcombelake

Besides many of the farmers cleaning the side roads they also had tractors and JCBs working from dawn to dusk out on the A35 Askerwell.

Speaking 10 years ago, Mr Sefton-Smith said: “The snow clearing equipment that we had then was very primitive by today’s standard.

“They were the gritters with a snow blade attached and the ‘quads’ used by the 8th Army in North Africa which were filled with the metal cats eyes in the back (weight for better adhesion) and fitted with snow plough blade in front working on Eggardon near the radio masts).”

Salt from Cheshire was delivered to the dept one way or another in only just sufficient quantities before and during the snow clearing operation.

The council depot in South Street, Bridport

The A35 trunk road had top priority and still a motorcycle was trying to get through.

This winter was the coldest over England and Wales since 1740.

Dorset experienced one of the worst winters in living memory. The county was covered in a blanket of snow and many rural communities were cut off.

The Bridport News reported drifts of up to 15 ft deep in the winter of 1963.

Dorchester couple Mr and Mrs Arthur Barber died in a snowdrift in Weymouth and supplies of food were dropped by helicopter.

Milk was rationed in Chideock by the milkman Les Fussell but enterprising farmers clogged Beaminster Square as more than 200 tractors and trailers delivered supplies to the Beaminster Milk Factory – some getting through by bypassing the roads to drive over fields.