Braidwood Passage, EC1A

Place Name

Probably named after James Braidwood (1800 – June 22, 1861) who founded the world’s first municipal fire service in Edinburgh in 1824, and went on to become the first director of the London Fire Engine Establishment, known today as the London Fire Brigade. He is widely acknowledged as the Father of the British Fire Service. He was killed on active duty, fighting a blaze at Cotton’s Wharf near London Bridge station, when he was crushed beneath a collapsed wall. It took two days to recover his body and his heroism led to a funeral on June 29, 1861 where his funeral cortege stretched 1.5 miles. A fire station was based close to here on Jewin Street, which disappeared under the construction of the Barbican.

 

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2 thoughts on “Braidwood Passage, EC1A”

  1. The assumption is correct. The passage is adjacent to the old London Salvage Corps HQ in Aldersgate Street (now demolished). At the time, the UK’s fire safety organisation, the Fire Protection Association occupied the building and when the passage was created by the demolition of an adjacent structure, an approach was made to the City of London to name the new alleyway after James Braidwood

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