Historic Henley

THE Henley fire brigade was formed in 1868 and 12 years later it moved into a new station in Upper Market Square, behind the town hall.

The fire engine was completely manual until 1893 when a steam-driven model “of the latest and best design” was purchased. Called the Firefly, it had a ladder, 1,200ft of hose reel and 800ft of hydrant hose (so bad luck if your fire was more than 800ft from a hydrant!)

Although it had a steam-driven water pump, the wagon still had to be pulled by horses, which had to be caught and harnessed before the fire engine could go anywhere. It was a sight to behold as it rushed to an incident, bell ringing, smoke billowing and hooves clattering.

The brigade comprised 12 “efficient and enthusiastic and well-drilled” firemen under the presidency of Archibald Brakspear. All lived within cycling distance of the fire station. They not only fought fires. In 1910 the engine pumped water from the sewers continuously for 64 hours to alleviate flooding.

The fire station was in use until the current station in West Street was built in 1968. It is now an exhibition centre and art gallery run by the town council. It is regularly used as an exhibition space by local groups, including the Henley Arts & Crafts Guild and the Reading Guild of Artists as well as numerous individual artists. Do look out for the ever-changing range of displays at this beautiful venue.

The painting is by artist Janina Maher, from Caversham. If you would like to see more of her artworks, she has an exhibition of prints on show at the Chocolate Café in Thames Side, Henley. Visit www.thechocolate