There's not much left inside this beautiful building worth a photograph, but we managed to scrape a few bits together of whats left. Visited with ofthesohoriots, and to be honest one of the highlights of the night was playing cat an mouse with the two security on site.
Built in 1935 by HRH Duke of Kent, the central fire station at Lancaster Circus, Birmingham, closed in 2006. One fire engine was moved to Aston and another went to Hay Mills, while a new headquarters was established at Vauxhall Road.The fire station was home to the longest fireman's pole in Europe at 40 feet (12 m) in length
Fire Service Headquarters. 1935. Herbert Humphries and Herbert J. Manzoni. Red Flemish bond with Portland stone and concrete dressings with a pantile roof. Three storeys with attics and basement. The building is triangular with ranges set around a central drill yard and faces onto three streets; Corporation Street, Aston Street and New Street. The Fire Service Headquarters was designed to house an enclosed community for the fire-fighters, their families and the senior officers. It included housing, a school room and roof top playground, and recreation rooms, with garaging for the fire engines, workshops and stores for their repair. The style is Neo-Georgian to the exterior and functional or 'Moderne' to the courtyard fronts and the tall hose tower at the eastern corner of the yard. The fire station was home to the longest fireman's pole in Europe at 40 feet (12 m) in length
HISTORY: The building was designed as the New Central Fire Station for the City of Birmingham. The design was by Herbert Humphries [later Sir Herbert Humphries] and completed by Herbert Manzoni after Humphries' retirement in 1935. It was built on a site which was already built over and a tavern, the City Weights and Measures Department and a row of houses had to be demolished to clear the site of c. 8,000 square yards. By October 1930 the site had been cleared, but the foundation stone for the new building was not laid until March 1934. The building was finished by December 1935 at a cost of £157,000 and officially opened by the Duke of Kent. Contemporary accounts reflect the high degree of civic pride which the building provoked and it is described in glowing articles which spoke of its advanced technology. This new technology included lights to indicate which machines were to respond to a fire, loud speakers to identify the location of the fire and electronically controlled engine starting and door opening. It also featured the latest 'turntable escape' which was reputed to be the first of its kind in the country.
The overall plan gives rich insight into the functioning and aspirations of the fire service at that time, prior to its nationalisation in 1941. The fire station closed its doors in 2006 and has started with redevelopment
K4 Architects has secured planning permission for a £31 million redevelopment of Birmingham’s central fire station, the practice’s largest ever project.
The project involves converting the grade II listed fire station and building a six-storey building in the station yard to provide accommodation for 463 students.
A 30-storey tower was originally planned as part of the project but was scrapped during a series of redesigns over the past 18 months.
Councillors rejected proposals including a 23-storey tower last year, despite local authority planning officers recommending approval.
The latest design, for developer Watkin Jones, has reduced the newly-built element of the scheme while maximising use of space in the fire station.
Studio ‘pods’ will be installed in the station’s ballroom, leisure facilities are planned in the engine bays and the drill tower will be converted into studio apartments.
K4 Architects director Bob Ghosh said the project would “secure and sustain the future of a key heritage assetâ€.
Construction work is expected to start this summer and to be completed in time for the autumn 2015 intake of students.
K4 was launched in October 2010 by former Glen Howells director Ghosh and former 3DReid project leader John Shakeshaft. The pair worked together at Kinetic AIU.
Just had to
Built in 1935 by HRH Duke of Kent, the central fire station at Lancaster Circus, Birmingham, closed in 2006. One fire engine was moved to Aston and another went to Hay Mills, while a new headquarters was established at Vauxhall Road.The fire station was home to the longest fireman's pole in Europe at 40 feet (12 m) in length
Fire Service Headquarters. 1935. Herbert Humphries and Herbert J. Manzoni. Red Flemish bond with Portland stone and concrete dressings with a pantile roof. Three storeys with attics and basement. The building is triangular with ranges set around a central drill yard and faces onto three streets; Corporation Street, Aston Street and New Street. The Fire Service Headquarters was designed to house an enclosed community for the fire-fighters, their families and the senior officers. It included housing, a school room and roof top playground, and recreation rooms, with garaging for the fire engines, workshops and stores for their repair. The style is Neo-Georgian to the exterior and functional or 'Moderne' to the courtyard fronts and the tall hose tower at the eastern corner of the yard. The fire station was home to the longest fireman's pole in Europe at 40 feet (12 m) in length
HISTORY: The building was designed as the New Central Fire Station for the City of Birmingham. The design was by Herbert Humphries [later Sir Herbert Humphries] and completed by Herbert Manzoni after Humphries' retirement in 1935. It was built on a site which was already built over and a tavern, the City Weights and Measures Department and a row of houses had to be demolished to clear the site of c. 8,000 square yards. By October 1930 the site had been cleared, but the foundation stone for the new building was not laid until March 1934. The building was finished by December 1935 at a cost of £157,000 and officially opened by the Duke of Kent. Contemporary accounts reflect the high degree of civic pride which the building provoked and it is described in glowing articles which spoke of its advanced technology. This new technology included lights to indicate which machines were to respond to a fire, loud speakers to identify the location of the fire and electronically controlled engine starting and door opening. It also featured the latest 'turntable escape' which was reputed to be the first of its kind in the country.
The overall plan gives rich insight into the functioning and aspirations of the fire service at that time, prior to its nationalisation in 1941. The fire station closed its doors in 2006 and has started with redevelopment
K4 Architects has secured planning permission for a £31 million redevelopment of Birmingham’s central fire station, the practice’s largest ever project.
The project involves converting the grade II listed fire station and building a six-storey building in the station yard to provide accommodation for 463 students.
A 30-storey tower was originally planned as part of the project but was scrapped during a series of redesigns over the past 18 months.
Councillors rejected proposals including a 23-storey tower last year, despite local authority planning officers recommending approval.
The latest design, for developer Watkin Jones, has reduced the newly-built element of the scheme while maximising use of space in the fire station.
Studio ‘pods’ will be installed in the station’s ballroom, leisure facilities are planned in the engine bays and the drill tower will be converted into studio apartments.
K4 Architects director Bob Ghosh said the project would “secure and sustain the future of a key heritage assetâ€.
Construction work is expected to start this summer and to be completed in time for the autumn 2015 intake of students.
K4 was launched in October 2010 by former Glen Howells director Ghosh and former 3DReid project leader John Shakeshaft. The pair worked together at Kinetic AIU.
Just had to
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