Ladders Collection

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

View from the harbour, Dartmouth, Devon. Date: circa 1950s

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

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

LCC-LFB Dual purpose pump escape at Lambeth HQ
A Dennis F7 pump escape at Lambeth HQ, a classic postwar fire engine newly in service in London. It was powered by a 150 bhp 5.7 litre Rolls-Royce engine and served initially at Lambeth Fire Station

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

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

Fishing boats in the harbour, Fowey, Cornwall
Fishing boats in the picturesque harbour at Fowey, Cornwall. Date: circa 1980s

LCC-LFB enclosed pump at Lambeth fire station
Pictured at Brigade Headquarters, Lambeth SE1, an example of an 1930 enclosed London pump with carried breathing apparatus

LCC-LFB Shoreditch fire station, City of London
Built in 1895, station B27, Shoreditch fire station, was located at 140 Tabernacle Street, near Old Street, City of London. The stations spare escape ladder is parked on the station forecourt

LCC-LFB Euston fire station
Opened in 1902, and originally only having two engine bays, Euston fire stations appliances and crews pose for a photograph by the extended five bay station on its forecourt in the Euston Road

Middlesex Fire Brigade in the London Fire Brigade area
Mutual assistance took place where a nearby fire brigade would attend a fire in the London Fire Brigade area, or vice-versa

LCC-LFB Leyland Metz 100 foot turntable ladder
Lambeths (D61) turntable ladder at its base station, displayed in the Brigade headquarters drill yard. The hose line, when the TL is used as a water tower

LCC-LFB Merryweather self-propelled Fire King pump
First introduced into the UK by Merryweather of Greenwich, SE London, in 1899, by 1907 twenty-one Fire Kings were in operational use around the country, including the London Fire Brigade

Sub-station with taxis and crews, WW2
A typical London Fire Brigade sub-station watch and their equipment. Taxis were used as makeshift fire engines which towed trailer pumps

LFDCA-LFB Vintage fire engine at Clapham fire station
A former Middlesex Fire Brigade pump escape at Clapham fire station. Middlesex was absorbed into the enlarged London Fire Brigade in 1965 with the creation of the Greater London Council

18th century fire engines
Various early fire engines and firefighting equipment from the 18th century Date: 18th century

Inside Shackletons Hut
The interior of the hut of Ernest Shackleton (1907-9), which has been preserved in exactly the same state as left by Shackleton Date: 2005

The Bonzo Chase board game
Box lid design for the Bonzo Chase board game, a thrilling version of snakes and ladders where Bonzo, the doggy creation of George Studdy

LFDCA-LFB Volvo dual purpose diesel pump ladder
Pictured on Blackheath in SE London, the pump ladder from Greenwich fire station

GLC-LFB ERF diesel pump-escape fire engine
The ERF pump escape attached to Millwall fire station, the latest addition to the Brigades appliance fleet. It was a dual-purpose appliance that could carry either the 50 foot wheeled escape ladder

Major fire in Wandsworth Road, Clapham SW8
London firefighters and the London Salvage Corps (in the long coats) at the scene of a fire involving shops and dwellings in Wandsworth Road, Clapham, SW8, on 9 September 1959. Date: 1959

LCC-LFB horse drawn 75ft turntable ladder (TL)
Shand Mason (Blackfriars) supplied the London Fire Brigade with this hand operated 75 foot turntable ladder on a four wheel horse drawn carriage

LCC-LFB - North Kensington fire station
The firefighters from North Kensington fire station, Faraday Road, W10, pose on the station forecourt on their pump escape and pump

West Ham Fire Brigade
A manual horse drawn fire pump belonging to West Ham Fire Brigade with a Victorian fire crew

NFS-London Region 50ft wheeled escape ladder, WW2
An Ajax style wheeled escape ladder, wound out in its carriage, from Fire Force Area 34 Acton fire station (E1Z) located at 24 Gunnersbury Lane, Acton, West London

Pouch Cove, Newfoundland - Fishing Stages. A fishing stage is a wooden vernacular building, associated with cod fishing in Newfoundland, Canada

LFB Athletic Association Boxing Tournament programme
LFB Athletic Association Members Boxing Tournament programme for 19 November 1925

LCC-MFB Brixton fire station, Stockwell, SW London
Brixton fire station, located in Shepherds Lane, Ferndale Road, Brixton, built in 1867. Brixton firemen pose with their two engines (an escape cart and steamer pump)

LCC-LFB Major fire at Prudential Insurance Building
Massive crowds gather to watch the London Fire Brigade fight the fire in the Prudential Assurance Company building located in High Holborn WC1, 16 June 1932

Major fire in Wandsworth Road, Clapham SW8
London firefighters and the London Salvage Corps (in the long coats) at the scene of a fire involving shops and dwellings in Wandsworth Road, Clapham, SW8, on 9 September 1959

LCC-LFB Magirus (screw) 100ft turntable ladder
An example of the Dennis Morris Magirus turntable ladder in its fire station appliance room

LFB turntable ladders in use at Hackney fire
Firefighters in action at Messrs Woolf, a furniture store in Hackney, East London

London Salvage Corps at work with salvage sheets
The London Salvage Corps were financed by the Insurance Companies and were not part of the London Fire Brigade. However they operated in concert with the Brigade

Fire station drill, hook ladder and 50 foot escape ladder
Regular training continued at all London fire stations during WW2, though it was unusual for a sub-station to have a drill tower

Fire Station at Quarriers Homes, Bridge Of Weir
Fire station, fire engine, ladders and uniformed firemen at the Quarriers childrens homes, Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire. The cottage homes were opened in 1878 by William Quarrier

Superstitions
An interesting instance of the popular aversion to walking under a ladder. A group of superstitious pedestrians find themselves in a bit of a scrum as they attempt to squeeze through the smallest gap

Firefighters in action with hosepipes, Shad Thames, SE1
Firefighters in action with hosepipes at night, at a fire in Shad Thames, 19 February 1958, at the premises of Corry & Co, showing the Gainsford Street/Maguire Street corner of the building

Blitz in London -- Saffron Hill, WW2
Blitz in London -- men at work in Saffron Hill, City of London, 26 October 1940. Date: 1940

LCC-LFB Dennis dual-purpose pump-escape
The Dennis dual-purpose pump-escape from D66 station Brixton (Gresham Road, SW4), pictured on Lambeth Bridge. The hose-reel tubing

NFS-London Region 100ft turntable with pump, WW2
A Merryweather turntable ladder fitted with an integral fire pump that feeds the monitor at the head of the ladder and therefore does not require a separate pumping appliance to feed it

LCC-LFB Serious office fire, Farringdon Street EC4
Two turntable ladders deployed at an office building fire in Farringdon Street, City of London, 16 November 1934. The top of the turntable ladder on the left is totally engulfed in the swirling black

LCC-LFB Dual purpose appliances (pump escape)
Introduced into the London Fire Brigade in 1934, dual purpose appliances meant that the ladders the fire engines carried were interchangeable

GLC-LFB - Turntable Ladder at Brigade HQ
The GLC-LFB was created on 1 April 1965. A series of photos was commissioned of each type of fire engine, either within or absorbed into the enlarged London Fire Brigade

LCC-LFB Recruit firemen training at Brigade HQ, SE1
During the 1950s recruit firefighters were trained at the Brigade Headquarters, Lambeth. Here the recruit squad are rescuing by carrying down on the 50 foot wheeled escape ladder pitched to the third

LFB Dennis dual-purpose pump, Lambeth HQ
Lambeths (D61) pump at its base station, on display in Brigade headquarters drill yard. Side mounted pump outlets together with hose-reel tubing and two hook ladders can be seen

LCC-LFB vehicle repair workshops, Lambeth HQ
The London Fire Brigade vehicle repair and maintenance workshops located within the extensive headquarters complex in Lambeth, SE1

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