THIS month marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of Oxfordshire Fire Service.

Following local government reorganisation in 1974, the brigade was created by the amalgamation of the Oxford City, Oxfordshire and North Berkshire fire services.

To mark the anniversary, an illustrated talk entitled ‘Fires and Firefighting in Oxford’ covering more than 1,000 years will be open to the public.

READ MORE: Staff at riverside pub celebrate award nomination

It will be given by retired fire officer John Lowe at the Rewley Road fire station in the city on Friday, April 26 from 7-9pm.

The talk will cover fires in the city from the eighth century until the closure of the city brigade in 1974.

Mr Lowe will describe how firefighting equipment developed over the years and how difficult it was to tackle destructive fires in Oxford and other parts of the UK.

He will also talk about how the reluctance of the city authorities to spend money left Oxford, its citizens and treasures exposed to little or no protection from fire for many years.

This sad state of affairs continued until tragic events took place in St Aldate’s in 1870, which finally led to the creation of the Oxford Volunteer Brigade.

The ‘Volunteers’ provided fire cover for 70 years, protecting the city through two world wars and seeing equipment progress from manual pumps to horse-drawn steam engines and finally to motorised appliances.

Those attending will also be able to see the historic horse-drawn steam-powered fire engine, ‘Victoria’.

Oxford Mail: It was bought in 1887 with proceeds from the National Demonstration of Fire Brigades held at South Park, Oxford, to mark Queen Victoria’s Jubilee.

Entry to the talk is free, but everyone will be asked to donate at least £5 to the national firefighters’ charity.

Anyone wishing to attend should email Firecity.Red@oxfordshire.gov.uk or telephone 01865 898649 to book their place.

John Lowe joined the Oxford City Brigade in 1970 and served initially at the old George Street station before moving to Rewley Road on its opening in May 1971. He retired in 2000 from Oxfordshire Fire service.

Earlier this month the fire service held an annual veterans reunion at Rewley Road fire station in Oxford.

Former firefighters from across the decades travelled from across the world for the meet up, and they enjoyed tea and cake while reminiscing about their work.

There was old and new firefighting gear on display, alongside special Oxfordshire appliances, photos, and videos.

The city’s fire station in George Street closed in 1971, and firefighters moved to Rewley Road.

The Old Fire Station is now an arts venue, and also a centre for a homelessness charity Crisis Skylight.

Help support trusted local news 

Sign up for a digital subscription now: oxfordmail.co.uk/subscribe 

As a digital subscriber you will get: 

  • Unlimited access to the Oxford Mail website 
  • Advert-light access 
  • Reader rewards 
  • Full access to our app 

About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.