Group    From 1865 

London Fire Brigade

Categories: Emergency Services

The London Fire Engine Establishment, formed in 1833 under the leadership of James Braidwood, was a private organisation funded by insurance companies, mainly aimed at saving material goods from fires. In 1865, following the Tooley Street fire and others, the publicly-funded and managed Metropolitan Fire Brigade was created, under the control of the Metropolitan Board of Works, later the LCC. In 1904 it was renamed as the London Fire Brigade.

From 1833 the first headquarters were at 68 Watling Street (see Beyond the Flames for some details and a photo), in the City of London. In 1878 moved into an old workhouse on Southwark Bridge Road, extended in 1883. 1937 moved into its Lambeth HQ. In 2007 it moved from there to 169 Union Street, Southwark, practically adjacent to its previous Southwark home.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
London Fire Brigade

Commemorated ati

Dudgeon's Wharf explosion - red plaque

Unveiled on the 50th anniversary of the fire.

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Eyre Massey Shaw

Sir Eyre Massey Shaw, 1830 - 1908, first chief officer of the Metropolitan Fi...

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Fire Brigade HQ - Southwark

This stone relief was located above the main entrance to the former headquart...

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Great fire of Tooley Street

2021: This plaque has been replaced with a similar plaque, re-branded to prom...

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James Braidwood

What a great plaque. The inscription is inside a laurel wreath, in front of a...

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This section lists the memorials created by the subject on this page:
London Fire Brigade

Creations i

Dudgeon's Wharf explosion - oblong plaque

The unveiling of this plaque was reported in the East London Advertiser of 24...

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Sidney Street siege and fire

Our colleague Alan Patient decoded JEECS into ‘Jewish East End Celebration So...

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Stephen Maynard - steel plaque

Plaque erected on the 30th anniversary.

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Other Subjects

F. Gordon Brown, MRCS

F. Gordon Brown, MRCS

Medical Board in the St John Ambulance Brigade, Metropolitan Corps, 1889-1907. Officer in the Order of St John. We think this man is probably the Frederick Gordon Brown who was the City Police Sur...

Person, Emergency Services, Medicine, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Fireman William Frederick Parfrey
War dead non-military, WW2
1 memorial
J. N. Bird

J. N. Bird

Either lost his life, or gave distinguished service to the London Fire Brigade, and was buried in the Highgate Cemetery plot between 1884 and 1955.

Person, Emergency Services

1 memorial
Mervyn Peake

Mervyn Peake

Artist and writer. Mervyn Laurence Peake was born on 9 July 1911 in Kuling, Dehua, Fujian, China, the younger child of Ernest Cromwell Peake (1874-1950) and Amanda Elizabeth Ann Peake née Powell (...

Person, Art, Emergency Services, Literature, Seriously Famous, Channel Islands, China/Hong Kong

1 memorial
A.LFm. A. H. Watkins

A.LFm. A. H. Watkins

Firefighter who died as a result of a fire at Shipton Road School.

Person, Emergency Services

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Charles Coborn

Charles Coborn

E3, Coborn Street, Malmesbury School

Spitalfields Life has a history of this street.

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
St Paul's dome - recast

St Paul's dome - recast

EC4, Cannon Street, St Paul's Cathedral

These plaques were generously photographed for us, at great risk of life and limb, by Matt Brown of Londonist on a privileged visit to th...

15 subjects commemorated
Hornsey Y.M.C.A. extension

Hornsey Y.M.C.A. extension

Extension of Hornsey Y.M.C.A.

Building, Community / Clubs

1 memorial
Charterhouse School

Charterhouse School

Founded by Thomas Sutton in 1611, the year of his death. An ex-Carthusian priory near Smithfield was used for the school - thus pupils are known as Carthusians. Sutton was buried in the chapel. Th...

Building, Education

1 memorial
Revd. Thomas Helmore

Revd. Thomas Helmore

Choir-master and hymn-writer. Born Kidderminster. Died at home in Pimlico.

Person, Music / songs, Religion

1 memorial