Life Saving, Police and Fire Brigade Medals from the James N Spencer Collection

Warwick Castle Fire Medal of Coventry Fire Brigade, 1 engraved clasp, Whitley Abbey, January 23rd 1874 (loose) (William Johnson), obverse: Warwick Castle; reverse: Coventry coat-of-arms, ‘In Commemoration of the Great Fire at Warwick Castle Dec. 3. 1871’, by Heaton, Birmingham, 38mm., silver, with buckle on ribbon, extremely fine, rare £300-400

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, Life Saving, Police and Fire Brigade Medals from the James N Spencer Collection.

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See Colour Plate V.

‘Early on Sunday morning (3 December 1871) a fire of a most destructive and alarming character was found to be raging at Warwick Castle. About twenty minutes to two a.m. Mr H. Hills, the house steward, who occupies apartments in the Castle, was awoke by a noise as of glass falling on the skylight. He hastily dressed, and while he was so doing he heard further sounds as of beams and joists falling. Joseph Powell, the steward’s-room boy, was likewise awoke by the same noise, which he described as resembling a violent hailstorm, but which was afterwards found to be caused by the crackling and burning of the furniture in one of the rooms near the library. He immediately roused William Gregory, Lord Brooke’s valet, and William Everton, the footman, and as Mr Hills quitted his room he heard Everton unlock the door up the staircase, crying, “Mr Hills, the Castle is on fire,” adding that the position of the fire was above the pantry. The first thought of Mr Hills was for the safety of Lady Eva Greville and the Hon. Sidney Greville, who were sleeping with the governess in the nursery bedrooms, and he immediately proceeded to rescue them. He ran up the stairs, and pausing for a moment at the first landing, looked into the inner hall from which volumes of smoke were proceeding, and saw that there was a great body of fire therein, and that the flames were bursting the windows looking into the court-yard. He rapidly ascended the next two flights of stairs, notwithstanding the suffocating smoke, and quickly roused the children, governess and servants. With what scant clothing they could snatch up, the whole of the party got to safety down stairs, although the smoke had by this time become more dense, Mr Hills following them and seeing that they were all safe as far as the laundry. In the meantime the footman Everton and Gregory, had run into the court-yard, and seeing that Lady Warwick’s bedroom was all ablaze, endeavoured without success to procure water from a tank on a mount. ... Gregory ran to the Gateway Tower and sounded the Castle alarm bell, despatching the boy Powell into the town for assistance. ... Hearing the alarm bell Police Constable Durham hurried to the porters lodge to learn the cause, and being apprized of the fire, ran back to the town, and with the aid of servants from the Castle and other constables, rattled up Captain Glover, Lieutenant Pritchard C.E. and other members of the Fire Brigade. ... Mr Pritchard arrived and was followed by the borough fire engine manned by the members of the Volunteer Brigade, Mr Elvins arriving shortly afterwards with the County Fire Office engine. Both the engines were on the spot within 20 minutes after the discovery of the fire. ... John Wrench, coachman, galloped over to Leamington, and called out the fire brigade. At three o’clock Capt. Lund arrived in charge of the first engine, followed by the second and third engines in an incredibly short space of time. Meanwhile the Warwick Borough engine and the County Fire Office engine, manned by a full complement of willing volunteers, had set vigorously to work. ... it became apparent that the great hall with all its costly works of art and furniture was doomed to destruction. ... The immense roof fell in with a tremendous crash, burying everything beneath it in one common ruin. The flames shot up high into the air, and were visible for miles around. ... The Leamington engines were rendering very efficient help during the time the fire was at its height, and telegrams were despatched to Kenilworth, Coventry and Birmingham, for additional aid. ... The messenger roused Captain Lovitt (Coventry) and he immediately manned an engine with a full complement of the Volunteer Brigade, and set off for the scene of the disaster. Birmingham sent two of its most powerful manual engines, one by special train per Great Western Railway, and the other by road ... Hanley was asked to lend the steam fire engine it was known to possess ... on the news of the calamity reaching the little village of Dunchurch, just at the conclusion of Divine Service, Mr John Lancaster M.P. of Bilton Grange, immediately despatched a powerful Merryweather steam-machine... Altogether there were eleven engines at the Castle ...’ (Extract from the Warwick Advertiser, 9 December 1871)

The article in the Warwick Advertiser elsewhere lists the rooms destroyed and the treasures lost in the conflagration. Sold with a photocopy of this and another account of the disaster and also with a short account of the ‘Whitley Abbey’ fire.