Great Gale at Yarmouth on Ash Wednesday

John Crome's son John Berney Crome was living in Great Yarmouth when the combination of a severe storm and high tide struck the town in February 1836. The Norwich Mercury reported that 'such a scene of general devastation never in the memory of the oldest inhabitant presented itself.' The artist painted this scene with great energy, depicting a boat at the mercy of the sea, the beach completely submerged, waves battering house fronts and menacing storm clouds in the sky.