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London Metropolitan Archives

LONDON FIRE ENGINE ESTABLISHMENT


IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): GB 0074 CLC/B/017-22

Held at: London Metropolitan Archives

Title: LONDON FIRE ENGINE ESTABLISHMENT

Date(s): 1832-1866

Level of description: Collection

Extent: 43 production units.

Name of creator(s): London Fire Engine Establishment x Metropolitan Fire Brigade x London Fire Brigade

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

The London Fire Engine Establishment was created and maintained by the principal fire insurance offices of London. It was formed in 1832 "with a view to the better protection of the property and lives of the inhabitants of the Metropolis, and its vicinity". Although a private body with no official standing, it was recognised as the public fire service for the London area. However, the Tooley Street fire of 1861 and the expansion of London caused both the fire offices and the Government to reconsider the arrangements for fire protection in London. This led to the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Act of 1865 and the eventual division of fire extinguishing and salvage work. The Act made fire extinguishing the responsibility of the Metropolitan Board of Works and the Metropolitan Fire Brigade was created to fulfil this function from 1 January 1866. The London County Council inherited the responsibility in 1889.

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

Records of the London Fire Engine Establishment, including Committee minute books; out-letter book; annual accounts and registers of fires in London, which contain information relating to fires attended by the London Fire Engine Establishment, including date, time of discovery, place, name and profession of occupier, possible cause of fire, details of insurance, who raised the alarm, who put out the fire, which engines attended, and what was damaged.

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

Records arranged by MS number, assigned during cataloguing at the Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section.

Conditions governing access:

Access by appointment only. Please contact staff.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copyright to this collection rests with the depositor.

Finding aids:

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Records deposited in the Manuscripts Section of Guildhall Library by the London Salvage Corps on 27 January 1976. They were catalogued by an assistant archivist in the same year. Ms 38957 was deposited in Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section by Sun Alliance in 1994. It was catalogued in 2008. The Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section merged with the London Metropolitan Archives in 2009.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Related material:

For fire reports 1886-1888 see reference NEW/1550-1578 and for fire reports 1889-1965 see reference LCC/FB/GEN/8 and 9. For the London Salvage Corps see CLC/B/017-23.

DESCRIPTION NOTES Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: November 2010 to January 2011.


INDEX ENTRIES
Subjects
Business records | Documents | Information sources
Fire damage | Damage | Disasters
Fire engines | Emergency vehicles | Vehicles | Transport
Fire fighters | Emergency services personnel | Personnel | People by occupation | People
Fire insurance | Insurance | Finance
Fire services | Emergency services
Fires | Accidents | Disasters
Insurance records | Documents | Information sources
Insurance services | Financial service industries | Service industries
Professional associations | Associations | Organizations
Trade associations | Associations | Organizations

Personal names

Corporate names
London Fire Engine Establishment x Metropolitan Fire Brigade x London Fire Brigade

Places
London | England | UK | Western Europe | Europe