The Fire Station

The Fire Station

This Fire Station on Bethel Street was designed by Norwich architect Stanley G Livock and built between 1932 and 1934. It is constructed of red brick with Portland stone dressings on a concrete frame, with a tiled hipped roof.

The building comprises three main elements. The three-storey front range provides vehicular access at ground floor level, with leisure rooms and crew accommodation above, and staircases and pole access at each end. A three and four-storey western range at right-angles contains family accommodation for station officers. To the east, office accommodation and access to the drill yard are positioned, with further garaging and a practice and hose drying tower at the rear, adjoining the former Weights and Measures Office.

The façade is characterized by eight double-height square panelled doors framed by stone pilasters supporting an entablature bearing the words "FIRE STATION". Pedestrian access at the west and east ends is provided through similarly styled doors; the western entrance has a simple moulded stone surround, while the eastern door features a square fanlight above with curvilinear glazing bars and stone pilaster architrave. Above each vehicle door stands a 28-light Crittall window with square brick head, and above each pedestrian door is a window opening with ogee-shaped head, moulded stone surround and balcony with cast-iron balustrade. The second floor contains fourteen smaller 16-light Crittall windows. A stone plaque displaying the City coat of arms and the date 1934 is centrally placed, supporting a flag pole. Both west and east elevations feature similar fenestration arrangements. The east block is shortened to allow access to the drill yard, which is framed by curving enclosure walls terminating in brick and stone piers adorned with 1930s lanterns.

At the rear, the practice and hose drying tower is styled as a campanile, integrated into the former Weights and Measures office. This four-storey tower features a deeply recessed entrance door with moulded stone surround and recessed window openings with square heads at each storey, except the fourth which has an arched brick head. Above this sits a dentil cornice and louvred openings topped by a pyramidal roof supporting a weather vane depicting a fire engine. Throughout the building, all windows retain their original Crittall frames and 1930s rainwater goods.

The interior preserves remarkable original fixtures and fittings across all blocks except the former Weights and Measures office. Original doors and window furniture largely survive. The front block retains vehicle door fittings, tiled wall surrounds in the vehicle bay, original poles and staircases (save for the two flights and balustrade of the east staircase which were replaced). The first floor former library and snooker room feature original wooden panelling, while second floor crew rooms retain most of their original basins and radiators. The western block contains individual flats for station officers with simple original cornices and fireplaces with tiled surrounds.

The Fire Station was conceived as a key building in Norwich's visionary new Civic Centre, designed during the 1920s to integrate with the historic buildings of the city. From the mid-19th century, fire stations began appearing across the country, often following the formation of local brigades. Norwich's municipal fire engine had been kept beneath the Sheriff's office at the Guildhall before relocating to larger premises in Pottergate in 1899. Changing requirements prompted the need for further facilities at Bethel Street. Although City Hall (by James and Pierce, 1937–38) was intended as the first building in the Civic Centre, the Fire Station was actually constructed first. Photographic evidence confirms the building remains substantially unaltered since its opening.