Bits of London Road Fire Station you may never have seen nu 2

Now I know I will open myself to accusations of being a nerd, the withering wish that I should get a life and perhaps be offered the four volume guide to British match boxes, 1899-1902.

Well so be it.

Here courtesy of Andy Robertson who like me knows no better is a short series on what has been left behind in the old London Road Fire Station.

I leave it up to the experts and those who know about these things to pass a comment.

Location; London Road Fire Station


Pictures; from the series  A day with a Fire Station, 2016, by Andy Robertson

Bits of London Road Fire Station you may never have seen nu 1

Now I know I will open myself to accusations of being a nerd, the withering wish that I should get a life and perhaps be offered the  four volume guide to British match boxes, 1899-1902.

Well so be it.

Here courtesy of Andy Robertson who like me knows no better is a short series on what has been left behind in the old London Road Fire Station.

I leave it up to the experts and those who know about these things to pass a comment.

And before I had time to draw breath on the story my old friend Neil posted a link to a site with the clue to the old bit of mechanical furniture.  It “ looks a very basic fuel pump Andrew. 

I couldn't find this model, but here is a link to a brochure for one you will definitely recognise..”*

Now I couldn’t resist replying “A misspent youth Neil pondering "Fuel Pumps Monthly” for which I am sure he will forgive me.


Location; London Road Fire Station

Pictures; from the series  A day with a Fire Station, 2016, by Andy Robertson

*Old Classic Car, http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/avery-hardoll.htm

Pictures from a Fire Station ............... nu 3 London Road .... May 2016

Now  everyone will have their own favourite pictures from Friday’s open day down at London Road Fire Station.

Not that I was there ........... I didn’t even know it was going on and that is my loss.  But at least I can share some of the photographs that Andy Robertson took.

Everyone will know Andy’s work from the blog.  He has a knack of knowing which buildings in the twin cities are at risk and then follow’s the progress of the buildings, more often than not from empty and neglected to demolition and redevelopment.

They are a fabulous record of some of our vanishing and vanished buildings and will be a real resource to future historians.

That said I do have to say that if Andy ever gets round to photographing our house I think I should be worried.

But on a very sunny day this May Andy confirmedhis reputation  of himself as the chronicler of doomed buildings by recording what he saw down on London Road.

The future of the place may still be uncertain but yesterday was a treat for all those who like the Fire Station and those who have ever campaigned to save it.

All of that is well documented by others who have done the job of tell its story much better than me so I shall just leave you with my favourites from the ones he took.

This is number three in the series of posts from the day that Andy visited the fire station and three are more planned.
That said he couldn't resist turning his camera in other directions and yesterday I featured his two pictures of Munroes which was the White Hart.

And as you do it allowed me to reflect on Bert's cafe and Placemate which was once the Twisted Wheel, but that was yesterdays' story.

Location; London Road, Manchester













Pictures; London Road Fire Station, 2016 from the collection of Andy Robertson

Pictures from a Fire Station ............... nu 2 London Road ..... May 2016

Inside London Road Fire Station with Andy Robertson

Now I have no intention of rehearse the history of London Road Railway Station of the campaign to save it.


That has been done much better by others over the years.  Instead I shall just post some of Andy Robertson’s excellent pictures of the place which he took today as the sun was cracking the paving stones and I was indoors being Mr Boring.

My only memories of the building are sitting in Bert’s Cafe on Whitworth Street eating sausage sandwiches when I should have been in a 9.30 lecture in the College of Commerce, round the corner.

Those with a pretence to being hip called it ColCom while we who weren’t settled on the more appropriate “College of Knowledge”.  Either way it did me alright as did Bert’s cafe.


Later when watching Stanley Baker in the film Hell is a City I recognised the entrance he left as the Whitworth side of the Fire Station.

Location London Road, Manchester

Pictures; London Road, 2016 from the collection of Andy Robertson

Pictures from a Fire Station ............... nu 1 London Road .... May 2016

Now I have no intention of rehearsing the history of London Road Fire Station or the campaign to save it.  

That has been done much better by others over the years.

Instead I shall just post some of Andy Robertson’s excellent pictures of the place which he took today as the sun was cracking the paving stones and I was indoors being Mr Boring.

My only memories of the building are sitting in Bert’s Cafe on Whitworth Street eating sausage sandwiches when I should have been in a 9.30 lecture in the College of Commerce, round the corner.

Those with a pretence to being hip called it ColCom while we who weren’t settled on the more appropriate “College of Knowledge”.

Either way it did me alright as did Bert’s cafe.

Later when watching Stanley Baker in the film Hell is a City I recognised the entrance he left as the
Whitworth side of the Fire Station.

And that is about all I am going to say other than I shall post some more of Andy’s pictures tomorrow.

Location London Road, Manchester









Pictures; London Road, 2016 from the collection of Andy Robertson