East Anglian Trophy 2014 Fire! Fire! From the early 1800s onwards, many villages and towns purchased hand operated and hand pulled fire pumps, for fire protection. Operated by teams of volunteers, these pumps were frequently kept in a small purpose built building within the village. In time, particularly in larger conurbations, these pumps were replaced by horse drawn, steam operated appliances, which in turn were replaced by motor driven vehicles. Municipal fire brigades eventually replaced the volunteers. In keeping with this, the original small sheds were replaced by buildings that we know today as fire stations. As you complete the competition you will be able to see examples of the historic development of these fire stations. On the following pages you will find a series of 20 sets of photographs. Locate the signs pictured on the left, the corresponding old fire station in the right-hand photo will be nearby. Take a photograph at each location to prove you have visited the town or village concerned. Credit will be given where your bike is included in the view. Extra points will also be given for presentation when judging the entries. Entries to be submitted to Roger Newark, Westwood House, 1a Benwick Road, Doddington, Cambridgeshire, PE15 0TG (e-mail rog.jac@virgin.net) by the end of October 2014
1 Opened in 1911, this old fire station is now a listed building 2 In use from 1927 until 1960, the original parish instructions concerning call outs of the fire engine stated " the superintendent (or foreman) shall assure himself that the application for the attendance of the brigade has been made in writing (a) by the owner or occupier of the property involved, or (b) by a responsible person acting on his behalf, and a guarantee given that he will pay to the council its charges for such attendance according to its fixed scale. The charges at the time were: Motor Engine 4.4.0 for the first 8 hours or part thereof and then 1.1.0 per 2 hours or part thereof. Thankfully things are a little easier nowadays!
3 Should you need a comfort stop or a coffee when you are in this part of the Fens, please feel free to call at the house adjacent to this old fire engine building, because the compiler of this competition lives there! 4 In the shadow of the cathedral you can find the Old Fire Engine House, which is now a well-known restaurant,. 5 This building has now been knocked through to become the entrance to a public car park. You can drive through the fire station to park and use the toilets! On the front of the old building there are mouldings showing firemen's heads and fire escape ladders. Spot the two memorial plaques.
6 It probably won t be too long before this small old fire engine house disappears entirely behind its covering of vegetation 7 Now used as a private garage, it is likely that the only surviving part of the original fire station are the doors, as the current roofline differs from contemporary photos, and the brickwork certainly looks new. 8 You can find this old fire engine building in the High Street. It is now used as a hairdresser's salon. Take a look at the remarkable cast iron finger post on the opposite junction.
9 This small fire engine house is to be found at the junction with High Street. 10 Now used as a picture framing and etchings studio. 11 There are fire buckets hanging on the wall of this attractive Suffolk cottage, where the fire engine, drawn by two horses and pumped by hand, was in use until 1939. Opposite is The Fleece public house, should you fancy a pint of Greene King while you are here.
12 This small, free museum contains photographs and artefacts, a fire engine from the Bressingham Fire Museum, old fire fighting equipment, a wartime pump and two greatcoats.it is open from Easter onwards on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 10 to 4. 13 Known as "the Cage" this consists of a pound, lock-up and fire engine house, built in 1830. Most of the features are original. The fire engine house was used to store the small handpumped engine that was used for blazes around the village. 14 This fire station, built for the Rochford Rural District Fire Brigade at the start of WW2, closed sometime prior to 1965, but still has the fire station look about it.
15 In the centre of this small Suffolk town (named after a crated up motor car?), look for Broad Street, where you will find that the old two bay fire station, which also saw use as a gaol, now does duty as a public shelter. 16 This fire station was built in 1825, and would appear to have had a dual use as the Town Hall, as well being the town s fire station. Nowadays it functions as a museum, opening on Fridays and the weekend. Look for the unique wording above the doors to the fire engine bays.
17 Just off the town centre, this fire engine house is now the headquarters of the local scout group. 18 The old fire station in this small Bedfordshire town has a bell tower, which harks back to calling in the volunteer fire fighters. These precautions probably have a connection going back to the Great Fire of Potton in 1783.
19 This unique Fenland town straddles the River Nene, and the now redundant fire station serves as a flower shop with a watery view. 20 The old fire station is at the rear of the Guildhall, and nowadays houses the Dad s Army Museum. If you wish to visit the Museum, it is open from the end of March until November, 10am 3pm, on Saturdays and, during school terms, Tuesdays. Look for the old stocks (behind the bars) on the opposite side of the road.