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Sunday June 10th 1615
It was Sunday June 10th, 1615. The townsfolk were attending a service at the parish church, so Wymondham was almost deserted. They were unaware that two fires had been lit.
They took hold in Vicar and Middleton Streets. The timber-framed, thatched houses were soon engulfed in flames. The Market Cross was reduced to a smouldering ruin. Scorch marks can still be seen today in some of the affected buildings.
The fires had been started by three travellers and a local accomplice. Enquiries at the time, and extensive research since, failed to find a motive for this act of arson other than possibly anti-Catholic feeling that pervaded at the time.
The perpetrators didn’t flee the scene but stayed to watch. They were caught and eventually hanged at Norwich Castle.
New Equipment
The Great Fire exposed the town's lack of organised firefighting. As a result, equipment was purchased and placed in various locations including the porch of Wymondham Abbey. A fire engine and a manual wheeled pump were bought by public subscription in 1780.
In 1883, the town's first fire station was built in Market Street where the entrance to the car park is now and was officially opened in January 1884.
Horses pulled the appliance until 1922 when they were replaced by a lorry hired from H Semmence & Son. In 1935 the first motorised appliance, a Dennis Ace was acquired.
Firemen In Wymondham
To begin with, the firemen got to hear of a fire by word of mouth but this had obvious limitations and was replaced by other methods including a series of exploding maroons. These were then replaced by an air raid siren and call bells were installed in the firemens' homes. Then in 1971 they were supplied with radio alerters and the call bells were discontinued.
Firefighting in Wymondham over the centuries is showcased in a new exhibition for the 2019 season at Wymondham Heritage Museum. Visitors can see photographs of the men who fought the fires, the aftermath of blazes including the fire at Semmence in 1907, plus previously unpublished photographs of the old Market Street fire station which remained the headquarters until the new station was opened on London Road in 1967.
Also on display are artefacts and ephemera from the fire service over the years including newspaper articles and a fine selection of brass branches which were attached to hoses.
