Description
Few stories in Downham Market’s history contain such an ironic twist of fate. The modern fire station, opened in 2006, was badly damaged by fire in 2014 and today lives on as Discover Downham Heritage Centre.
This booklet traces the town’s firefighting heritage from its earliest days in a succession of storage sheds to the first official brigade established in the nineteenth century in the vestry of St. Edmund’s Church. It explores the challenges of protecting the town with a poor water supply and even a fire engine without brakes.
The story continues with the arrival of the first motorised fire engine in 1925, replacing the horse-drawn appliances of earlier years, and introduces readers to ‘Mavis’, a much-loved former fire engine that still serves the community today as a tea-serving vehicle.
A fascinating glimpse into the people, equipment, and determination that shaped Downham Market’s fire service through the generations.
