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

William Edward Richard Whitlock

William Edward Richard Whitlock

William Edward Richard Whitlock was born on 29 April 1916, the younger son of Bertram Sidney Whitlock (1890-1917) and Rosetta Whitlock née Killick (1893-1971). His birth was registered in the 2nd q...

Person, Emergency Services

War dead non-military, WW2
1 memorial
C. Alan Palmer

C. Alan Palmer

Corps Officer in the St John Ambulance Brigade, Metropolitan Corps, 1887-1895, 1915-1921. Serving Brother in the Order of St John.

Person, Emergency Services, Medicine, Politics & Administration

1 memorial
Charles Wesley M. Drew

Charles Wesley M. Drew

Fireman killed as a result of an air raid on Plaistow Road, E15 on 19 March 1941.  Charles Wesley Messenger Drew was born on 19 June 1913, a son of Charles Drew (1889-1964) and Ethel Drew née Mess...

Person, Emergency Services

War dead non-military, WW2
2 memorials
J. Rees

J. Rees

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
W. Humphris Winny, OBE, AMIEE

W. Humphris Winny, OBE, AMIEE

Commissioner in the St John Ambulance Brigade, Metropolitan Corps, 1891-1927. Knight Grace in the Order of St John. The 1904 publication "St Martin-le-Grand, Vol. XIV" contains an article written ...

Person, Emergency Services, Medicine, Politics & Administration

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Stratford Co-operative and Industrial Society Ltd

Stratford Co-operative and Industrial Society Ltd

The picture shows the first premises of this organisation, before they moved in, at the corner of Falmouth Street and Maryland Street in Stratford.  Started by a group of men at Stratford Railway W...

Group, Politics & Administration, Social Welfare

1 memorial
National Westminster Bank

National Westminster Bank

Usually referred to as the NatWest Bank. It was formed from the merger of the National Provincial and Westminster Banks. Since 2000 it has been part of the Royal Bank of Scotland group.

Group, Commerce

1 memorial
World War 2

World War 2

Sorry, we've done no research on WW2, it's just too big a subject. But do visit the picture source web site - it has a fascinating collection of maps.  And we enjoyed these photos of current WW2 ev...

Event, Armed Forces, Tragedy

376 memorials
Valeria Oliveira

Valeria Oliveira

One of a list of 26 researchers involved in researching Hester Leggatt's background.

Person, History

1 memorial
Royal Free Hospital

Royal Free Hospital

Founded by William Marsden as the London General Institution for the Gratuitous Cure of Malignant Diseases on 17th April 1828 in a rented 4-storey house at 16 Greville Street, Hatton Garden. Septem...

Group, Medicine

6 memorials