Building   

Spitalfields engine-house

Categories: Armed Forces

'Engine-house' was an early term for what we would now call a fire station. The engine was initially merely a hand-operated pump. This and some ladders might be housed in the local church, but as the equipment became larger an engine-house would be required.

British History Online informs that in 1689 George Bohun or Boun gave a fire-engine to the hamlet of Spitalfields. Also, 1688-9 he granted further building leases, mainly on the east side of the market and in Red Lion Street, which happens to be where the engine-house was later built.

Our image is taken from the Greenwood map of 1827 and shows some buildings to the south-west of the church - on land now occupied by Commercial Road, constructed 1843–5 and 1849-57. 

Talking about works carried out on this church in 1726-8 British History Online gives "The pavior completed his work, including the pavement in the front of the church, or ’Esplanade’, to the south of which the engine-house and Charity School were later built."

British History Online also gives: "A fund of £700 had accrued by 1782 ... and in that year a faculty was obtained permitting a school to be built on the edge of the churchyard. This site, which measured eighty-six feet from east to west and twenty-eight feet from north to south, abutted on Red Lion Street {now Commericial Street} in front of the west end of the church and had formerly been occupied by the parish engine-house.The school was erected in 1782 and faced north. It is illustrated by a plaque on the present school building in Brick Lane."

All of which suggests that the engine-house (the old engine-house implied by the words on the plaque at the church) was built and demolished during the period 1728 - 82. But the plaque suggests that it was still standing shortly before 1861, and what did the parish do for an engine-house from 1782 - 1861 when the new engine-house was built? The simplest explanation would be that the phrase "formerly been occupied by the parish engine-house" is inaccurate and that the engine-house and the charity school existed side by side. The map certainly shows two separate buildings: the one to the north could be the engine house with the larger one to the south being the school, with an east-facing front overlooking the "Church Yard". This larger building is even separated into two wings, exactly right for co-ed schools at the time.

See our page 'Christ Church Spitalfields - pavement - ownership' for more information about this engine-house.

We've cobbled together this history of Spitalfields engine-house from the inscription on 3 plaques, a number of maps and a variety of online sources, none of which do more than mention the engine-house in passing. While doing this we've wondered whether anyone has thoroughly researched Spitalfields engine-house and even published a book. If so we found no trace of it.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Spitalfields engine-house

Commemorated ati

Christ Church Spitalfields - men and ladders

The inscription is weather-worn particularly at the right so the words "men",...

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Christ Church Spitalfields - pavement - ownership

The vacant ground extending 61 feet east, 13 feet west and 30 feet north of t...

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Christ Church Spitalfields - wall - engine-house

The stone now built into the wall of the new engine-house formerly stood 103 ...

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Other Subjects

D. J. C. Moyce

D. J. C. Moyce

Co-partner or employee of the South Suburban Gas Company. Served but did not die in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War served, WW1
1 memorial
Staff Sergeant Roberts

Staff Sergeant Roberts

Royal Engineer killed by an exploding bomb while assisting in the attempt to disarm it. Andrew Behan has kindly carried out some research on this man: Staff Serjeant Charles Roberts was born on 25...

Person, Armed Forces, Tragedy, Scotland

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
Pilot Officer Joseph Ellsworth Durham

Pilot Officer Joseph Ellsworth Durham

Joseph Ellsworth Durham was born on 16 August 1915 in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas, USA, the only son and the fourth of the five children of Joseph Ellsworth Durham (1884-1981) and Lydia ...

Person, Armed Forces, USA

War served, WW2
1 memorial
S. Bewsey

S. Bewsey

R.A.S.C.. Fought but did not die in WW1. Andrew Behan has kindly provided this research: First he writes "The memorial shows S. Bewsey having been a member of the R.A.S.C. (i.e. the Royal Army Ser...

Person, Armed Forces

War served, WW1
1 memorial
Second Lieutenant Harold Norton Clifton

Second Lieutenant Harold Norton Clifton

Harold Norton Clifton was born on 7 May 1894 at 32 Ashley Gardens, Westminster, the second of the three children of William Edward Clifton (1859-1921) and Isabel Clifton née Nelson (1869-1940). He ...

Person, Armed Forces, France

War dead, WW1
2 memorials