CHRISTY : THE MID-ESSEX WIND-RUSH AND WHIRL-WIND. 139
pounds. The tiled roof was almost uncovered, gables were
blown in, and window-frames were removed. The Vicarage,
immediately adjoining, was little injured, probably through
being sheltered by the Rectory, a larger house; but, in the
garden, trees were blown down (including two very old horn-
beams, probably the finest in the county), and a portion of the
garden wall was overthrown.
The injury to houses became greater as the storm approached
the Cross Roads near the east end of the Village Green—one
of the most picturesque in England. Here Ropers Hall (Miss
Mabel Usborne), the Leefe (Mr. J. E. Hales), Writtle House (the
late Mr. Thomas Usborne, M.P.), the Cock and Bell Inn, several
houses in Roman's Place (including that of Mr. Thomas
Williams, Head-Master of the Schools), and others, were badly
damaged, especially in regard to their roofs, chimney-stacks, and
window-frames; while many fine ornamental trees in their
gardens were uprooted or much smashed.
One feature which I noticed at this point only was the manner
in which quite low garden walls had been overturned. I saw
several which had been laid over so neatly and gently that not
a brick had been displaced, though each one had been detached
from its neighbours. The result was that, instead of a brick
wall, one had an excellent brick pavement, on which one could
walk comfortably, the bricks being all laid in perfect order, each
with its narrow edge uppermost. Another curious point I
noticed was that these walls had been thrown over in all direc-
tions—a result, no doubt, of the rotary motion of the whirl-wind.
A striking instance of this was to be seen in Mr. Williams' small
and very-sheltered back garden in Roman's Place; his eastern
wall being laid over neatly to the east and his western to the
west. A small pear tree growing in his garden seemed not to
have lost a twig, while an apple tree growing fifteen feet away
in the next garden was uprooted and smashed. Another instance
of the partiality already mentioned was to be seen in the garden
of Writtle House, where there is a path, about 75 feet long,
running north and south, over which rose-trees are trained on
four arches of wire trellis-work, each arch being about 19 feet
from the next and say ten feet high. The effect of the storm on
these arches was very striking, though they were all well pro-
tected from the south-west by a stout brick wall, scarcely ten