Revisiting the Dolgarrog dam disaster after 100 years

On 2 November 1925, a catastrophic flood swept through Dolgarrog village in north Wales, depositing enormous boulders and killing 16 people. In 2025, what have we learnt from this flood disaster?

The Dolgarrog disaster was a seminal event for civil engineering and for the design of dams/reservoirs in the UK. The geomorphological impacts of the flood were set out in the Geographical Journal in 1928 in a now classic paper. It was also obviously a tragedy for the local community – there will be media coverage around the time of the centenary

The Dolgarrog disaster is not widely known. We will look at all these themes in our lecture and include some of the original News footage.

About the speakers

• Jamie Woodward, The University of Manchester
• Jeff Warburton, Durham University
• Stephen Tooth, Aberystwyth University
• Hywel Griffiths, Aberystwyth University

Booking information

Monday night lectures are open to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership.

Attending in-person

• All Fellows and Members wanting to attend in person must pre-book a free ticket. You will receive an e-ticket with a QR code that will be scanned on arrival. Your ticket can be shown on a mobile phone or printed. If you do not have a smartphone, we can find your name on the door list instead.
• Doors open at 5.30pm. Please use the Society's entrance on Exhibition Road. The lecture will begin at 6.30pm.
• Monday night lectures are held in person in the Ondaatje Theatre. The bar will be open in the Map Room before and after the lecture. Please be advised all payments are card only.
• The Ondaatje Theatre is fitted with a hearing loop. For the best quality sound we recommend sitting on the outside rows of the front seating section.
• There is step free access to the theatre. Wheelchair spaces can be booked in advance. If you have any questions about the venue, please contact events@rgs.org

Watch online

• You do not need to pre-book to watch the lecture online.
• All Monday night lectures are livestreamed via our website so you can watch them from wherever you are.

If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking, please email events@rgs.org

About Monday night lectures

Our Monday night lectures are exclusive to Fellows and Members and are included in the cost of membership. Members can book to attend the lectures in-person at the Society, or enjoy them live from the comfort of your own home.

These lectures are also recorded and uploaded to our website solely for members to catch up on whenever they like. If you would like to receive a weekly reminder email about the upcoming Monday night lecture, please sign up to our Updates about our Monday night lectures newsletter.

Accessibility at our events

We want everyone to feel welcome at our events. Key accessibility features of this event include:

• Step-free access to the event
• Accessible toilets
• Assistance dogs are welcome
• Hearing loop

For full details, please visit our accessibility page. If you have any questions or specific access requirements, feel free to get in touch with us on access@rgs.org