The old ‘dousing house’

THIS photo shows Blunham’s fire station in 1900 and comes courtesy of the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives Record Service (BLARS at www.bedford.gov.uk/archive).
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Jun 2011, 11:40 BST

The first mention of the Blunham parish fire engine is in 1848 when “the churchwardens were requested to see that the fire-engine and buckets are in good repair”. At this time the engine would have been a hand cart or horse drawn cart festooned with buckets.

An engine house was built in 1862 on the site of the old parish lock-up or cage, which was moved and today stands behind 54 Park Lane. The engine house stood where the bungalows numbered Park Lane are today.

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In 1864 parish ratepayers were asked to find 1½ pennies in the pound to maintain the engine. Any person refusing to pay would not be entitled to have the engine’s help in case of a fire.

It was also proposed that the engine be taken out for exercise at least four times a year and it had its own caretaker, Mr Sharpe.