Identifiable by their big red doors, England’s network of historic fire stations reach out to every city, town and village.
Early fire stations sporting flamboyant architecture were symbols of civic pride, designed for live-in fire brigades and horse-drawn engines.
Here we take a look at six very different buildings that span more than one hundred years and demonstrate the formalisation, organisation and spirit of their brigades.
1. The Round House, Barrow-upon-Soar, Leicestershire, Grade II listed
First erected in 1827, this structure has been put to a wide variety of uses. In the 1850s it was described as the parish prison. Later it was used as a hearse-house for storing the village bier, and sometime in between it was a fire engine house. It is presently used as an exhibition space.
Before municipal fire brigades and the creation of professional fire fighters, parishes often had their own fire fighting equipment, and would store this in a convenient place for anyone to use.
If a fire started everyone in the community would probably be involved in putting it out, so the communal equipment needed to be conveniently stored. This building is a typical example of a vernacular public building being repurposed to accommodate the parish fire engine.
2. Former Chiltern Street Fire Station, London, Grade II listed
This fire station from 1889 draws upon Tudor and Gothic detail to produce a weighty piece of architecture. In the 1880s professional fire brigades were still fairly new, so the architect’s choice of such traditional detailing was clearly intended to express links with history and tradition.
The heavy stone buttress-piers between the appliance bay doors help to ground the building, whilst the decorative stonework to the upper floors and watch tower add a sense of delicacy.
This flamboyant Victorian station was closed in 2005 and converted into a hotel and restaurant.
3. Euston Road fire station, London, Grade II* listed
Designed by HFT Cooper for the London County Council and originally a divisional headquarters, this six storey building (built around 1901) really shouldn’t work.
With projecting bays, stone dressings, balconies and asymmetric roof lines, it ought to be a cacophony, but masterfully handled these rich details produce a strong and confident design.
4. Police and Fire Station, London Road, Manchester. Grade II* listed
An extraordinary confection of 1906, in the flamboyant Edwardian Baroque style, Manchester’s London Road fire station originally accommodated not only the city’s central fire service but also the police station and cells, coroner’s court, a bank and a gas meter testing station.
Making liberal use of red brick with terracotta dressing, sculpture and ornamentation, the fire station was decommissioned in 1986. The site is currently being redeveloped for a mixed-use scheme which aims to bring life back to this prominent city centre building.
5. East Hull fire station, Southcoates Lane, Hull
East Hull fire station is a modest example of the building type dating from 1932. It would be fairly ordinary if it were not for the inclusion of the fire brigade’s motto “Ready? Aye, Ready!” carved into the stonework over the arches of the three appliance bay doors.
This call and response dates back to the early formation of fire brigades and is strongly related to the Edinburgh Fire Brigade, the oldest municipal brigade in Britain, established in 1824.
6. The Mounts fire station, Upper Mounts, Northampton
Northampton’s central fire station on The Mounts is a 1930s super-station. A mighty building of austere form rising to six storeys, it has a strong and solid presence, embodying reliability, strength and endurance.
Built in 1935 as part of a visionary civic centre which included the adjacent police station, courts and a public swimming pool, the buildings are fine examples of the modern movement of architecture.
The art deco design rejects the heavier use of architectural ornamentation favoured by earlier fire stations. It is constructed of finely cut bath stone with clean lines that speak of modernity, efficiency and power – and who wouldn’t want their local fire brigade to be modern, efficient and powerful!
Written by Billy Reading.
Further reading
Further information on these and many other fire stations in Britain can be found in Billy Reading’s book, ‘Fire Stations’, available now from Amberley publishing. Buy now.
Fire station in my Massachusetts town (USA) was built in 1926 with an octagonal layout in order to get multiple pieces of equipment out of the station at once. It’s apparently the only one of its kind in the US. Link goes to recent renovation: https://www.contextarc.com/arlington-fire-headquarters_portfolio/
This is a fascinating post. Maybe I will get to see some of these one day.
Work across the road from London Road Fire Station. A truely amazing building! Glad it’s finally being put to good use. Would love to work on a building like that!
Billy-you’ve missed Sheffield’s purpose built police and fire station-maybe it’s in your book? Taken your time to turn a thesis into a book! Good luck! Andrew
The original 1851 Devonport Dockyard Fire Station is still standing https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1378506 and can be visited as it is part of the Devonport Naval Heritage Centre https://devonportnhc.wordpress.com/
After researching my family history, I discovered that my Great-Great-Great grandfather was a coachman and groom. I thought perhaps he might work for a well-to-do family, but no, he was at Eltham Fire Station in South London!
Canterbury had two fire engines in 1691 but I don’t know where they were housed. See http://www.canterbury-archaeology.org.uk/res-whitfield-memorial/4590809541
‘Fire Station’ is a fairly modern term – the traditional and almost universal name for such a building was an ‘Engine House’ – the place where the engine was kept.
I note that the building in Aldbourne, has ‘Fire Engine’ not a fire station on the plaque and the Devonport Dockyard example is also I think an Engine House.