Proposed Fire Museum.

Background.

During October 2000 members of the Preservation Group brought their newly restored Dennis F8 fire engine to the old fire station at Greenock where it had first served when delivered to the Western Area Fire Brigade in 1958. The purpose of the visit was to photograph the vehicle outside the old station. The visit attracted the attention of several councillors including Councillor Robert Jackson who invited our members into view the old station and unanimously we agreed the premises would make an ideal location for a fire brigade museum. Councillor Jackson seemed delighted at our proposal and immediately invited us to the Provost’s office to put our case forward to him.

These buildings are situated at Wallace Street and Dalrymple Street, Greenock. This original fire station was built in 1887, and was used for horse drawn fire appliances. In 1912 they received the first motorised pump - A Dennis “N” Type, and the building continued in use during both world wars and was closed in 1960 when the new Rue End street station was opened. It has been used as storage area for the council until today.

The station is typical of the early Victorian fire stations with many original features such as cobbled courtyards and vaulted ceilings; many of these stations have now been torn down or used for other functions, making this station something of a rarity but ideal as a museum due to its long history and its listed building status.

For the last six years the Preservation Group has been lobbying to have our proposals become reality. Duncan McNeil, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde spoke on our behalf and mentioned the museum project during a debate in the Scottish Parliament in May 2003. We have had representatives from the Scottish Museums Council, Historic Scotland, Glasgow Transport Museum, The McLean Museum, Greenock, Fire Heritage Network U.K. and the Fire Service College visit the old station and all were of the opinion that the premises offered enormous potential both as an educational facility and tourist attraction.

Withdrawal of funding for a feasibility study in 2004 almost saw the project collapse; however in 2005 Inverclyde Council contacted the Preservation Group with the aim of resurrecting the museum project by financing its own feasibility study.

The person tasked with compiling the study was Ms Esther Mann, curator of the London Fire Brigade Museum. Ms Mann has gained considerable recognition throughout the British Fire Service and has been responsible for promoting much of the history of the London Fire Brigade by developing the museum situated in Winchester House, Southwark, once the home of Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw, Chief Officer of the London Fire Engine Establishment, later to become the London Fire Brigade.

The only other facility in Scotland currently offering a similar experience is the Museum of Fire in Edinburgh’s Lauriston Place. This is the headquarters building of Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue, the ground floor of which has been converted for use as a fire brigade museum.

Lothian and Borders was the first Brigade in the U.K. to establish a Community Education department and such was its success, that all other brigades followed suit.
The Community Education department and Museum staff work together and is a proven example of how the history of the fire service can assist in conveying the fire safety message. A result of this co-operation was an eventual decrease in the number of malicious calls being made to the fire brigade.

Strathclyde Fire Brigade Preservation Group has over the years, built up a rapport with the Edinburgh Museum and has received valuable advice and offers of assistance from the Curator, ex Assistant Firemaster, Mr Ian McMurtrie.

During 2002, Glasgow City Council ran a Fire Exhibition in the city’s Transport Museum. Although only a temporary exhibition, it attracted numerous visits by school parties from all over Strathclyde and was one of the most successful events to date.

Exhibits

The museum exhibits would mostly cover the period the station was in operation - 1887 until its closure in 1960. Themed displays depicting the advances in fire-fighting technology from Victorian times to present day would be covered by a series of age related exhibits:

1. A Victorian section would include a hose cart, manual fire pump and horse drawn steam fire engine. The Preservation now has a Shand Mason steamer which was manufactured in the same year (1887) the station opened.

2. The coming of the motorised age could be depicted by having an open type fire appliance.

3. A Second World War exhibition would be represented by the Auxiliary Towing Vehicle and Trailer Pump. This could be extended to include a section covering the Greenock Blitz and a mock-up of a wartime fire scene. The role of Greenock’s Auxiliary and Regular Fire Brigade during fire-fighting operations onboard the Free French destroyer Maille Breze, could also be covered by the use of photographs and testimonies from those involved in the incident.

4. Post WW2 exhibit would centre on the Dennis F8 appliance which was the last fire engine to drive out the old station when it closed in 1960.

5. Present day exhibits would include modern fire-fighting kit, chemical protective clothing and a video presentation showing the work of today’s Fire and Rescue Services.

The Preservation Group has six large museum display cases in which our artefacts and equipment could be safely displayed. Uniforms through the ages will also be on display with some modified fire kit being available for the younger visitors to try on.

A photographic exhibition depicting the life of the fire station would also be of great benefit and interest. The assistance of various agencies: The Watt Library, Local Historical Societies, Council Archives, Greenock Telegraph and the general public would, I’m sure, produce a unique visual record.
We would also intend to re-instate as many of the original features as possible including the hose drying tower, hose repair shop, appliance room doors, gas lighting mantles and original colour scheme and paintwork.

Since the events of 9/11 the fire-fighters of Greenock have forged links with the Fire Department of New York. A cairn was erected outside the present Greenock Fire Station in memory of all emergency service personnel who have died in the line of duty. The Preservation Group has also been involved with the ‘New York Kids Project’ - this is a scheme run by Glasgow The Caring City Charity to provide holidays in Scotland for the families of Port Authority Police Officers and New York Fire Department personnel killed on duty.
I feel it would be fitting to mark this relationship with a display showing the tragic events of 9/11 combined with the involvement the fire-fighters of Greenock now have with the Fire Department of New York.

Strathclyde Fire Brigade Preservation Group has over the last six years, worked closely with Inverclyde Council. In 2003 the Preservation Group was asked to stage an exhibition in the old fire station as part of the Council’s ‘Doors Open Days’. We transformed the basement into a temporary museum and exhibition area and had over 1,200 people visit the two day event.
During September 2006 the Group staged another exhibition within the old fire station which attracted over two thousand visitors.

2003 Also saw the first Festival of Fire and Water. This was the largest event Inverclyde Council had staged since the Tall Ships event of 1999. The Preservation Group organised the attendance of fire engines from all over the U.K. and Germany. This event attracted over 30,000 visitors.
We repeated the event in 2005 with equally successful results.

In Conclusion.

I have visited fire brigade museums throughout UK to gain ideas and information as to their layout, content and operation. The curators of these establishments have all offered their assistance both in the form of information and by lending artefacts. The Preservation Group is now a member of the Fire Heritage Network UK., an organisation created to protect and promote the country’s fire service history. I feel we now have recourse to some of the most experienced people in the country to assist in the setting up of a dedicated fire brigade museum.

The emergence of Greenock as a cruise liner itinerary further strengthens the necessity to improve current attractions and provide new ones. I conducted a random ad hoc but nevertheless relevant survey that showed although many cruise ship passengers opted for the organised shore excursions, more passengers are now remaining in the Inverclyde area.

On several occasions, the Preservation Group have taken fire appliances to the Ocean Terminal for an impromptu display as part of the farewell celebrations to the departing liners, these have always been enthusiastically received and on one occasion a letter from an American passenger described the send off as the ‘highlight of the cruise’.

The possibility of establishing a fire museum within the Municipal Buildings is both an exciting and challenging prospect. A facility that can inform, educate and have the potential to create a safer community can only be of considerable benefit to all.

HOME PAGE Sept 11 01- Northwest -Central - St Mungo- Scoosher -Goddess -- Thanks - Guest Book - Links Page - Metz TTL - BLOG - ABOUT-US - Schonstadt -Steamer - Landrover - Museum

For More info Contact : Bob Wright