Complex sentence: In 1884 the town suffered significant damage when it lay close to the epicentre of one of the most destructive UK earthquakes of all time; the incident is known as the 1884 Wivenhoe earthquake.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1884 the town suffered significant damage when it lay close to the epicentre of one of the most destructive UK earthquakes of all time. The incident is known as the 1884 Wivenhoe earthquake.