The Colchester Earthquake, 1884

A cabinet card showing two of the many houses affected by the Colchester Earthquake, which struck the town of Colchester in Essex and its surrounding villages on the morning of 22 April 1884.

According to an inscription verso, the houses seen here were in Abberton, one of the villages nearest the centre of the disturbance. In all, some 1250 buildings were damaged by the earthquake, which lasted for about 20 seconds and measured 4.6 on the Richter scale.

Photographed by G.A. Oldham of Colchester, Essex.