Here’s a Then & Now comparison of two scenes of The Ford in very different meteorological conditions. The ‘then’ image comes from Rob Steward’s collection of photographs, taken around the town in the 1960s. The ‘now’ image was taken in June 2021. The former is taken in dingy winter light conditions, with no leaves on the trees and murky looking water lapping at the photographer’s feet. The latter was taken in searing heat in summer time when the Ford was bone dry and not in danger of flooding any time soon.

There are other, non-weather related, differences between the two. In the foreground, the house also known as ‘The Ford’, no stranger to the encroachment of flood waters over the years, had a few road-side outbuildings which no longer exist. In the background, we can see that the old walls and railings of The Ford were still in place when the ‘then’ image was taken, but these were demolished and replaced in 1962 as per the information in this earlier Then & Now article.