Earthquake! - the shaking of Essex
Phil George
- Region:
- Essex
- Notice Period:
- Short (maybe less than one month's notice)
- Type:
- Hobby
- Fee:
- Paid: £30 plus travelling
- Category:
- History
- Updated:
- 14th March 2026
- Tagged:
- Essex | Earthquakes | Victorian | Colchester
The dramatic story of the most destructive British earthquake of the last four centuries: the 1884 Essex earthquake, which shattered a peaceful morning and plunged communities into confusion and fear.
Centred on Peldon, just south of Colchester, the destructive shockwave rippled across the county and was felt far into southern England.
Through narrative, eyewitness testimony, and striking contemporary photographs, this talk brings the event vividly to life. Once the dust had settled, attention turned to the devastated homes of the poor and the efforts to relieve their hardship. At the same time, geologists grappled with understanding what had caused such an unexpected upheaval beneath the Essex landscape.
Views: 463 | Enquiries: 2About Phil George
I have always had an interest in history, local history and family history. In the 1980s I studied at the Open University and achieved an honours degree in history.
Since then, I have carried out a great deal of research as a writer for both print and online. For 15 years I was a self-employed genealogist which included research for the television programme Who Do You Think You Are.
I have written a book on the history of Kelvedon Hatch, and I give guided tours of Kelvedon Hall which is the subject of one of my talks.
For the last ten years I have organised a local history group, so I appreciate the difficulty of finding speakers and I thought it was now time to help out other groups and organisation by becoming a speaker myself.
I am willing to do emergency, short notice or regular talks. If I am available, then I'll do it!
Other Talks on SpeakerNet by Phil George
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