Old Fire Station

A voluntary fire brigade was started in Barrow in Furness in 1866 on the initiative of the churchwardens of St Georges Church and rather weirdly they were at first accountable to the Inspector of Lighting for the district. The initial complement was a superintendent, a sergeant and 10 firemen operating a manual engine (attached to horses when needed), the force gradually grew in size with the rapidly expanding town. 

This fine building was erected in 1911, a date which it proudly states above the door.  Opening for business the following year on the 12th December as that most modern of things a motorised fire service.  Their first machine had been proudly shown off  to the the public in the November with a demonstration of jets of water played in the air and up to the top of the Town Hall tower.  This terracotta and red brick building is now a Grade II listed building designated as such by English Heritage as the  "first generation of fire stations built specifically for motorised appliances".  The building is now occupied by the retailer  'Bed Brigade' which means you can buy a bed from here and sleep easy in it knowing that there is a fire brigade on hand to put out any fires  Since 1996 the main Fire Brigade have operated from a modern and bland building on the outskirts of town here.

The Old Fire Station (once known as Central Station) an entry to ABC Wednesday, a journey through the alphabet this week sojourning  at O here