Well, it didn't get as far south as here. In fact I've never 'been in' an earthquake I could feel, but maybe one day .... in fact 'quakes are surprisingly common in the British Isles, it's just that they're mostly small ones and you have to be in the right place at the right time.
The nearest thing, for me, was entirely ersatz. When I used to work in Portslade, we had an active metal shop in our factory, with big presses and punches etc. going thud thud thud all day long. Despite working on the opposite side of the building I could hear and feel rumbles all the time. One day a much bigger thud occurred, quite out of the blue, and I could definitely feel the solid concrete floor beneath me shudder, almost as if a wave had passed through the ground. I, and several others nearby, thought, this ain't right, something's up over there, and we all rushed across to the metal shop expecting to see the place strewn with bodies. But nothing was amiss, work was going on there as smoothly as always.
It was only the next day that I learnt the truth. A massive WWII mine had been uncovered somewhere in the vicinity of nearby Shoreham Harbour, and the Bomb Disposal guys were called in: it seemed they decided to evacuate the surrounding area (our factory was just outside the area) and then set it off in a controlled explosion. Quite an event, brought lots of spectators crowded round the exclusion zone. And I missed it, all but the bump!
The nearest thing, for me, was entirely ersatz. When I used to work in Portslade, we had an active metal shop in our factory, with big presses and punches etc. going thud thud thud all day long. Despite working on the opposite side of the building I could hear and feel rumbles all the time. One day a much bigger thud occurred, quite out of the blue, and I could definitely feel the solid concrete floor beneath me shudder, almost as if a wave had passed through the ground. I, and several others nearby, thought, this ain't right, something's up over there, and we all rushed across to the metal shop expecting to see the place strewn with bodies. But nothing was amiss, work was going on there as smoothly as always.
It was only the next day that I learnt the truth. A massive WWII mine had been uncovered somewhere in the vicinity of nearby Shoreham Harbour, and the Bomb Disposal guys were called in: it seemed they decided to evacuate the surrounding area (our factory was just outside the area) and then set it off in a controlled explosion. Quite an event, brought lots of spectators crowded round the exclusion zone. And I missed it, all but the bump!
Like Naples. Appparently no one who studies Vesuvius chooses to live in Naples....
