Places: February 2012 Archives

A photo study by S Wetherall.

Images copyright S Wetherall. Used with permission.

Recently, Claire & Dave Hay contacted the web team with a wonderful discovery. They had discovered a photo of the Blankey Hall Fire Engine in an old album and asked if we would be interested. Of course we were and the image has now been scanned and added to the Blankney Archive.

A little bit of research has uncovered that the fire engine is a horse-drawn, Merryweather 'Greenwich Gem' steam powered fire engine. It was able to pump about 100 gallons of water per minute. Merryweather, a London based company, started producing this model around 1896. There are several examples still in existence, including one in the National Railway Museum at York.

Its likely that Lord Londesborough purchased it for Blankney Hall. Fire was one of the greatest fears of country hall owners and it is no surprise that he bought one of the best machines available at the time. Prescient really, considering the fate that eventually befell the Hall.

Incidentally, Merryweather are still in the fire protection business although they have changed hands and location a few times.

The image is a wonderful addition to our Blankney archive and we thank Claire & Dave for their generosity.