Other

(lost) Fire Brigade HQ - Southwark

Inscription

This stone relief was located above the main entrance to the former headquarters of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade which stood on this site from 1878 until it was demolished in 1969. The Metropolitan Fire Brigade was renamed the London Fire Brigade in 1904 and the buildings on this site remained the Brigade Headquarters until 1937.

To the rear of the monument you will find a fire bell dating from the early 1800’s, this bell hung outside the previous headquarters of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade, 68 Watling Street, in the City of London, until 1878. The Watling Street building was originally the headquarters of the London Fire Engine Establishment which was renamed the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in 1865.

B. G. Robinson - Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive, London Fire and Civil Defence Authority - 1995.

Site: Fire Brigade HQ - Southwark (1 memorial)

SE1, Southwark Bridge Road

Our image of the building (bomb-damaged and demolished in the late 1960s) is a zoomed-in section of a photo we found at the excellent Beyond the Flames.  Above the entrance you can see the decorative stone-work which became the memorial in the bushes.

We took our photo of this memorial in 2017 and planned to come back, hoping to gain access so we could find the mentioned fire bell.  By the time we got back, 2021, at least 4 trees had gone, a 2-storey grey construction was occupying the site of the memorial and the rest of the garden/parking area was behind hoardings. We have to hope that the memorial and bell are safely stored somewhere and will reappear when the works are completed, but for now we have marked them as 'Lost'.

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Fire Brigade HQ - Southwark

Subjects commemorated i

Southwark Fire Station, HQ and Training Centre

This location has hosted 4 buildings important to the history of the London F...

Read More

London Fire Brigade

The London Fire Engine Establishment, formed in 1833 under the leadership of ...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Fire Brigade HQ - Southwark

Created by i

B. G. Robinson

Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive, London Fire and Civil Defence Authori...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

St Thomas a Becket church war memorial

St Thomas a Becket church war memorial

SW18, West Hill, St Thomas a Becket catholic church

Unusually we have taken our picture of the building from the church's own website - it is much better than ours.

2 subjects commemorated
Louise Cattell bench

Louise Cattell bench

NW1, Chalk Farm Road, 88

We don't normally collect benches but this was so stunning we photo'd it before we even realised it was a memorial. It was so beautifull...

1 subject commemorated
Quakers - garden

Quakers - garden

EC1, Chequer Street, Quaker Garden, Banner Street

This unusual memorial is made out of slates and shaped to resemble a burial mound.

2 subjects commemorated
Well-head from House of Commons

Well-head from House of Commons

NW3, Antrim Grove, Antrim Gardens

This plaque is affixed to the top of the stonework of the well-head. Andrew Behan found two Lionel Barnetts living in the Hampstead area...

1 subject commemorated, 2 creators
Hardy's tree

Hardy's tree

NW1, Pancras Road, St Pancras Gardens

Not strictly a memorial but irresistible to include. As railway lines were constructed through densely built-up parts of London, they of...

1 subject commemorated