Post by Jacob NevinsPost by The Natural PhilosopherPost by AlanHaving worked at Chesterton Pye/Philips/Simoco from 1975 to around 2015,
I think 1978 was the worst flooding around Elizabeth Way. The weekend
of the big opening of the new factory. Nothing since was as bad as far
as I remember.
1984 was, very bad...
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Historical-floods-marks-in-Cambridge-keeping-the-memory-of-the-floods-of-1821-1861-1878-and-1984.jpg
In the past (2003), cam.misc has concluded that these year markers on
Fair Street are parish boundary markers for Holy Trinity Parish, and
nothing to do with water levels.
https://cam.misc.narkive.com/fa5xv5EV/high-tide-markers-on-fair-street-newmarket-road
Cites an online article from Cambridge News, that the Wayback Machine
doesn't seem to have captured, so I can't assess the credibility of that
claim.
But the current boundary of Holy Trinity Parish does turn that corner,
so it at least doesn't fail that plausibility test.
https://dioceseofely.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/portfolio/index.html?appid=2706c8a653514d2eac14728707ce36b6
The quoted image on Wikimedia Commons, with its suggestive title
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Historical-floods-marks-in-Cambridge-keeping-the-memory-of-the-floods-of-1821-1861-1878-and-1984.jpg
https://doi.org/10.5194/hessd-12-6541-2015
The preprint's vague approach to citation doesn't really allow reviewing
the evidence (if any) that these mark water levels, as it asserts.
(As far as I can tell, this paper was never published. The reviewers of
the preprint were not kind about its rigour in general, and at least one
recommended rejection.)
It should not be hard to determine whether or not there was a Cambridge
flood in 1984 of such magnitude as to inundate houses on Maids Causeway.
(Long before my time, though.)
https://cam.misc.narkive.com/fa5xv5EV/high-tide-markers-on-fair-street-newmarket-road seems to suggest you are right, although the article referenced in the News doesn't seem to be available in any more.
building hasn't been beaten.