'Dozens died, and during the 1683 Thames Frost Fair a party of skaters was caught by the wind and blown out to sea': The risky business of skating on thin ice

The hotly contested 1933 British Quarter-mile Ice Skating Championships at Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, (Photo by J. A. Hampton/Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Now that we've successfully negotiated the ice skating season, spare a thought for those in the past who literally put their lives on the line to enjoy winter's most elegant pastime.

Now that we've successfully negotiated the ice skating season, spare a thought for those in the past who literally put their lives on the line to enjoy winter's most elegant pastime.