London Beer Flood at Meux's Brewery

Background. Meux & Co's Horse Shoe Brewery was established in 1764 at the junction of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street. Sir Henry Meux acquired the brewery in 1809. It was a major producer of porter, brewing over 100,000 barrels annually by 1812. The brewery's rear adjoined New Street, a cul-de-sac within the St Giles rookery, an area of slum dwellings.

The Bursting Vat. On the afternoon of 17 October 1814, storehouse clerk George Crick noticed an iron band had slipped on a 22-foot-tall vat. The vat burst, dislodging valves and destroying barrels. Between 128,000 and 323,000 imperial gallons of beer were released. A wave of porter 15 feet high swept into New Street, destroying houses and killing eight people.

Inquest and Casualties. The coroner's inquest was held at the St Giles parish Workhouse on 19 October 1814, overseen by George Hodgson, coroner for Middlesex. Eleanor Cooper, a 14-year-old servant, died when buried under the brewery's collapsed wall. The disaster resulted in eight deaths, primarily among residents of the St Giles rookery.