Firefighting Collection

LFDCA-LFB Lambeth HQ and Lambeth river station
A modernised Lambeth river fire station and the new fireboat London Phoenix, seen here from the north bank of the River Thames

Heroic fireman rescuing girl from fire
Heroic fireman rescuing a girl from a fire. Date: 19th century

Firefighters on a tea break after fire St Katherines Dock
London firefighters (with cork helmets) and Auxiliary Fire Service firefighters (with tin hats and AFS badges on their tunics)

Firefighters working at scene of pub fire, SE London
Firefighters working at scene of pub fire, Eltham, SE London

LCC-LFB fireboat Massey Shaw, Westminster, London
A publicity photograph of the Massey Shaw fireboat with the Houses of Parliament in the background, used by the London County Council to promote the London Fire Brigade in its publications

Chris Reynolds Victorian fire engine cartoon
Chris Reynolds was a fireman at Paddington fire station and a talented cartoon artist. He produced a series of LFB/MFB cartoons of which this is one

LCC-LFB Tooley Street fire station and its crews
Built in 1879, and located at 165 Tooley Street, this station remained operational until 1928 when the new Dockhead fire station was opened and the engines and crews transferred there

GLC-LFB Dennis diesel Compact Pump
Introduced into London in the mid-1970s, this narrow wheel base pump was not a dual purpose fire engine. It could only carry an extension ladder and not the 50 foot wheeled escape

Bus embedded in house, Blackstock Road, London
Bus embedded in the front of a house in Blackstock Road, London NW4, on 13 January 1974. The car in the foreground was shunted through a garden wall after being struck by the bus

Fire Station Billiards Room

LFCDA-LFB Leyton fire station
The fire station at Leyton, located at 90b Church Road, London E10

Croydon Fire Brigade, South Norwood station
The firefighters of the Croydon Fire Brigade serving at South Norwood station, South Norwood High Street, together with their horse drawn manual fire engine

Blitz in London -- St Bride Street, Farringdon Street, WW2
Blitz in London -- St Bride Street and Farringdon Street, with firefighters at work in a smoky atmosphere and pedestrians walking by

Multi service emergency vehicles and their personnel

LFDCA-LFB Dockhead fire station, Bermondsey
Opened in 1928, Dockhead fire station became the setting for the fictitious Blackwall fire station in the popular television series Londons Burning

LCC-LFB Warehouse fire, Butlers Wharf, Bermondsey
A major docklands fire at Butlers Wharf, Bermondsey, SE London. It happened during a particularly cold spell for March. The attack on the fire by a large number of firefighters

GLC-LFB Deptford fire station, Evelyn Street, Deptford
Deptford fire station was one of the last stations built for the London County Councils Metropolitan Fire Brigade and was opened in 1904

GLC-LFB New Lewisham fire station appliance room
The appliance room of the newly commissioned Lewisham Fire Station, located in Lewisham High Street, SE London. Showing Lewishams appliances, a pump-escape, pump and emergency tender

LCC-LFB Serious house fire in Notting Hill
Firefighters using the 50 foot wheeled escape ladder to gain access to the upper floors of this terraced house affected by a serious blaze in Notting Hill, West London

LCC-LFB Recruit fireman training at Brigade HQ, SE1
During the 1950s recruit firefighters were trained at the Brigade Headquarters, Lambeth. Here a fireman is undertaking a hook ladder drill on the stations nine-storey drill tower

GLC-London Fire Brigade, Clerkenwell fire station
Originally built in 1870, Clerkenwell fire station underwent a major rebuild in 1916 and two additional fire engine bays were added

LCC-LFB Dockhead fire station, Bermondsey SE1
Opened in 1928, Dockhead fire station was also the fictional fire station Blackwall in the highly acclaimed London Weekend Television series Londons Burning (1998-2002)

London Fire Engine Establishment, list of fire stations
Formed in 1833, the LFEE took over firefighting in London from the various Insurance Company fire brigades. It had 19 fire stations and its headquarters was located at Watling Street, City of London

LCC-MFB firefighters at West Hampstead fire station
Station 20 was West Hampstead fire station, opened in 1901 at 325 West End Road. The firemen are pictured with their horse drawn steam fire engine on the forecourt of the station

LCC-LFB Burdett Road fire station, East London
Built by the London County Council (LCC) and opened in 1904, Burdett Road fire station was located at 141 Burdett Road. It closed in 1972 with the opening of the new Poplar fire station

LCC-LFB Shoreditch fire station, Hackney
Built in 1895, station B27, Shoreditch fire station, was located at 140 Tabernacle Street, near Old Street. The stations pump

Bedford Heavy Unit in the NFS (London Region)
About 1000 of the pumps were built on a Bedford chassis and most were capable of pumping water at 700 gallons per minute. Here a heavy unit and crew are undertaking hose drills at Lambeth

Blitz in London -- Whitechapel Fire Station
Whitechapel Fire Station in Whitechapel Road having suffered heavy blast damage following a bombing raid on 8 September 1940

Tower Bridge jams in summer heat
Tower Bridge, London, jams when the metal expands in the summer heat on 2 July 1968. The bridge is closed for two hours while firefighters cool it down with their hoses

LFB horse drawn steamer at modern LFB review
Lambeth, headquarters of the London Fire Brigade, hosted annual displays and regular reviews of the Brigade. A popular feature was the inclusion of the working Victorian Shand Mason horse drawn steam

MFB North Kensington fire station, West London
North Kensington was one of the latter fire stations to be built by the MFB in 1882 prior to the creation of the London County Council in 1889

Firefighters on parade in front of their appliance during a visit by Queen Elizabeth II to the Headquarters of the London Fire Brigade, Lambeth

LCC-LFB Fire display at Brigade HQ Southwark
The London Fire Brigade encouraged, for very many years, a good public image by opening its doors to the public to special fire brigade displays

LCC-LFB Cannon Street fire station, City of London
Cannon Street fire station was opened in 1906. Seen here are its three appliances on the station forecourt. Fire brigade horses had now been replaced by motorised fire appliances

LCC-LFB Warehouse fire, Butlers Wharf, Bermondsey
A major docklands fire at Butlers Wharf, Bermondsey, SE London. It happened during a particularly cold spell for March. The attack on the fire by a large number of firefighters

GLC-LFB Fire boat - Fire Hawk
Entering service in February 1976, the Fire Hawk was built by Watercraft of Shoreham at a cost of £ 60, 000. Measuring 45 feet in length, 13.5 inch beam and with a 3.5 foot draft

LCC-LFB Recruit firefighters training at Brigade HQ SE1
During the 1950s recruit firefighters were trained at the Brigade Headquarters in Lambeth. Here they are undertaking hook ladder drills on the stations nine-storey drill tower

Firefighters at the scene of a fire, Wildcroft Manor
Firefighters at the scene of a fire at Wildcroft Manor, Putney Heath, SW London

Croydon Fire Brigade at Brigade HQ, Croydon Town
The horse drawn steam pump form Croydon fire station. This was one of three stations in the Croydon Fire Brigade, the other two being Thornton Heath and South Norwood

LCC-LFB Dennis motorised Hatfield fire engine
LCC-London Fire Brigade, Dennis motorised Hatfield fire engine with crew

LCC-LFB Dennis motorised fire pump and crew
The introduction of the Dennis fire appliances would see the creation of dual-purpose fire engines capable of carrying either the 50 foot wheeled escape or, as here, adapted as a pump

LCC-LFB Bishopsgate fire station, City of London
Bishopsgate fire station, located at 162 Bishopsgate, City of London, 10 July 1904, showing the combination of horse drawn and mechanised fire engines

LCC-MFB, HQ station, Southwark SE1
The new headquarters of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) opened in 1878 under its Chief Officer Captain Eyre Massey Shaw

AFS despatch rider and messenger, WW2
An AFS (Auxiliary Fire Service) despatch rider and messenger on a motorbike at an LFS sub-station during the Second World War

NFS (London Region) Pimlico V1 bombing attack, WW2
The aftermath of a V1 flying bomb attack in Winchester Street, Pimlico. NFS firefighters join other rescue workers at the scene

NFS 60ft hand-operated turntable ladder, WW2
An Austin K4-Merryweather 60 foot hand-operated turntable ladder (TL). A total of 50 such appliances were built and mounted on Austin K4 chassis for the Home Office between 1942 and 1943

NFS personnel coach from District 34-HQ, Ealing, WW2
National Fire Service personnel coach from District 34-HQ, Ealing, West London

Blitz in London -- Regulars and Auxiliaries side by side
Regular London firefighters side by side with their Auxiliary (AFS) counterparts at Tottenham fire station. The building next door is Tottenham Town Hall

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