London Fire Brigade Museum

Firefighting museum in London, England

51°30′7″N 0°5′53″W﻿ / ﻿51.50194°N 0.09806°W﻿ / 51.50194; -0.09806

Winchester House – former London Fire Brigade Museum

Established| 1966; 59 years ago (1966)
Website| www.london-fire.gov.uk

The London Fire Brigade Museum (temporarily housed at The Workshop, Lambeth High Street) covers the history of firefighting since 1666 (the date of the Great Fire of London). The museum houses old fire appliances and other equipment.

## Overview

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The museum was located in Winchester House, the former home of Captain Sir Eyre Massey Shaw, who was Superintendent of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade.[1] It was the London Fire Brigade headquarters until 1937 when King George VI opened a new building on the Albert Embankment on the south bank of the River Thames.[2][3][4]

The building at Winchester House closed its doors to the public in September 2015 and the collection was audited and put into storage pending the opening of a dedicated new museum.[5][6]

In July 2015, members of London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority agreed to make the provision of a new museum, as well as a fire station, a condition of the sale and redevelopment of the Brigade's old headquarters on Albert Embankment in Lambeth.[6]

## Current status

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It was originally estimated that it would be 2023 before the new museum opens but in the meantime there would still be opportunities for the public to view the historic collection.[7][8] These included temporary exhibitions across London, outreach visits and educational talks and lectures and events to commemorate the 150th anniversary celebrations.[9] However, as of 2025, the museum remains closed and the collection is currently entirely digital.[10]

## Former address

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The former address of the museum was:

London Fire Brigade Museum
Winchester House
94A Southwark Bridge Road
London SE1 0UG

## References

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1. ^ "Shaw, Sir Eyre Massey (1830–1908)". English Heritage. 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
2. ^ "News". www.london-fire.gov.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
3. ^ "LAMBETH FIRE STATION, Lambeth - 1392337 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
4. ^ "London Fire Brigade Headquarters, Albert Embankment, Lambeth". landmark.lambeth.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
5. ^ team, London SE1 website. "London Fire Brigade Museum collection put into storage". London SE1. Retrieved 30 April 2020.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
6. ^ a b "London Fire Brigade – Last chance to visit the museum before big move". London-fire.gov.uk. 14 September 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
7. ^ "Our museum is on the move". www.london-fire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 27 April 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
8. ^ "What's on at the London Fire Brigade Museum?". www.london-fire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
9. ^ "London Fire Brigade – Museum". London-fire.gov.uk. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
10. ^ "Visiting the museum". www.london-fire.gov.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2025.

## External links

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* Museum website
* Information from the 24 Hour Museum
* Fire Brigade Museum to get a new home
* Museum could move to Albert Embankment
* London SE1 website information

Authority control databases |

* ISNI

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