NORTHERN DISTRICT FIRE STATION
NEW PREMISES IN ST GEORGE’S ROAD

The new Fire Brigade Station, erected in St George’s Road to meet the increasing requirements of the district in the matter of fire protection, will be formally opened tomorrow by Sir James King, Bart, the Hon. the Lord Provost. The present premises in Maitland Street have long been recognised as totally inadequate for the accommodation of the fire brigade staff necessary for the great districts of the city lying to the northwest, and some years ago the Watching and Lighting Committee of the Town Council decided to look out for a suitable site for a new station. A further reason for making the change was found in the fact that in the present buildings the accommodation for the police department was alike inadequate and unsuitable, and that, in order to clear the way for the erection of new offices, the fire, lighting, and cleansing departments should be removed, and their sites amalgamated with that for the new police premises. After much inquiry as to the most convenient locality and the examination of various sites, it was two years ago resolved to purchase a piece of vacant ground about 1200 yards in extent, immediately to the north of St George’s-in-the-Fields Parish Church, and which formally belonged to the kirk session. Plans for the station were prepared by Mr Carrick, City Architect, and from his designs one of the best arranged fire stations in Scotland has been constructed. The front to St George’s Road is four storeys in height, and, being treated architecturally in a style to harmonise with the adjoining church, has an imposing appearance. On the ground floor is situated the engine house, with accommodation for a steam fire engine, a manual engine, and a hose and ladder carriage. In the centre of the building, and also on the ground floor to the front, is the watch room, from which an elaborate arrangement of fire alarm apparatus – telegraphs telephones and house bells – are controlled. Behind the watchroom are the baths and lavatories, in the construction of which the latest and most approved sanitary improvements have been introduced. A reading or recreation room is situated overhead, and this, though somewhat small, is an exceedingly comfortable and cheery room, in which the men may occupy their leisure moments pleasantly and with profit. On the other three floors of the front building house accommodation is provided for 11 officers and men and their families. In the spacious court behind the main building are situated a two storey brick building, used as a stable and workshop and as dwelling houses for two coachmen. There are also two washing houses, a hose washing machine, and a hose drying stove or tower. With these facilities the staff at the station will be able to clean and dry their own hose, and occasionally to relieve the Central staff, which during the past six months have frequently have been unable to deal with the large quantity of used and dirty hose requiring their attention. The new premises for the lighting and cleansing department enter from Church Place, off Garscube Road, and consist of a large muster hall, workshop, two offices, a large store for the Lighting Department, and a stable and store for the Cleansing Department. These have been erected of white facing brick, and are a striking contrast to the old premises about to be vacated. Perhaps the most remarkable features in the Fire Department are the improvements that have been introduced with a view of economising time in the matter of turning out the brigade in cases of fire. The principal of these consists of an arrangement by which the stable doors and the doors of the engine house are opened simultaneously by a lever worked in the watchroom. The doors of the stables form the inner ends of the different stalls, and when they are opened the horses are free to walk out. The horses at St George’s Road are at present being trained to leave their stalls immediately the doors are opened, and to place themselves in front of the steam fire engine. There the harness, which is suspended from the roof by pulleys, will be dropped upon them, and by the closing of a few springs everything will be in readiness for the start . The men having meantime mounted to their position on the vehicle, a cord hanging from the roof is touched, and by means of slides and pulleys the front doors are swung open, and the engine starts on its journey. When the horses have become thoroughly familiarised with the work it is confidently stated that the turnout will be accomplished considerably within one minute. Yesterday, at an informal examination of the station, the horses were taken from the stables, placed in position, harnessed, and got into complete rediness to rush out to the street, not more than a minute being occupied in the entire operation. The gas supply for the premises has been fitted up so that the lights may be lowered in the court, stable, and engine house during the night, and instantaneously turned up to full pressure from the watchroom should occasion require. Each of the dwelling houses is connected with the watchroom by electric bells, and the workshop, stables, bath, and reading rooms can similarily be communicated with by the officer on duty. By turning a switch every one of the rooms can be communicated with at once, or each of them may be rung up separately as may be necessary. The buildings throughout are of the most substantial character; and besides being admirably adopted in every respect for the special purpose for which they have been erected, they are externally a handsome and welcome addition to the architecture of the locality. The equipment of the premises and the introduction of the novel and remarkable appliances by which the time occupied in turning out the brigade has been reduced to the smallest possible limit, have been carried out under the superintendence and advice of Mr Paterson, the firemaster who is to be congratulated on having under his care a fire station which cannot be surpassed either as regards the perfection of its apparatus or the completeness of its outfit. The cost of the new premises including the price of the site, has been about £7,000.
(The Glasgow Herald, Thursday, April 11, 1889. Page 9.)

NORTHERN DISTRICT FIRE STATION
OPENING OF NEW PREMISES

The new Fire Brigade Station for the Northern District, which was described in the Herald on Thursday, was formally opened yesterday afternoon. There was a large attendance of members of the Town Council and others interested in the Fire Department of the city. The company were shown over the premises by Mr Paterson, the firemaster, who explained the equipment and the various appliances of the station. An experimental turnout was then made, the time occupied from the ringing of the alarm bell till the steam engine was out on St George’s Road being the remarkably brief space of 28 seconds. Among those who witnessed the operation were ex-Bailie Dickson, convener of the Watching and Lighting Committee; Bailies Thomson, Martin, and Morrin; Councillors Crawford, Martin, Muir, Gray, Mechan, Graham, Primrose, Neilson, Bowman, Graham, Caldwell, Chisholm, Martin, Paterson, and Wilson; Mr Gray, Mr J. T. Fife, Chief Constable Boyd, Superintendent Sutherland, Dr Bruce, Dr M. Cameron, Mr Carrick, Master of Works.
Ex-Bailie Dickson formally declared the station open. In doing so he remarked that since Mr Paterson became firemaster an endeavour has been made to make the department as complete as possible. (Hear, hear.) This was the second district station that had been opened within the past two years, the other being in the east end of the city. The premises in which they were now met were sufficient for the requirements of the district, and for a larger district yet, he hoped, to be included. (Hear, hear.) Upon these two stations something like £14,000 had been expended. Besides that the Marine station had recently been rebuilt. The Town Council were at the same time endeavouring to make the police establishments more commodious. The police station in the Cowcaddens district would now occupy the whole ground that was previously occupied by the fire department. He did not know if the experience of the last year or two could induce  them to look round upon their insurance friends present and ask them to consider, in the light of these increased appliances, the matter of insurance rates – a matter that was very important in a manufacturing community like Glasgow. (Hear, hear.) The cheaper they could get their premises insured, led them to take every means in their power to make their fire department as efficient as possible. A great deal was due to Mr Paterson  and the class of men he had employed. He believed that in the Glasgow Fire Brigade they had a class of men such as were not to be found in the same department in any other city. Most of them were tradesman, and he might state that a great deal of the work done at the stations and in the police offices had been done by the men connected with the brigade. Everything had been done tending towards efficiency, and he was quite sure that the Town Council would be supported by the inhabitants in endeavouring to make the fire and police departments as efficient as they could make them. The Lord Provost had unfortunately been called away to London last night, and in his absence he had to declare the station open. (Applause.)
Councillor Gray, sub-convener of the Watching and Lighting Committee, in response to the invitation of Mr Dickson, also made a few remarks. Alluding to the number of fires that took place in Glasgow, he said that lately he had been perusing the evidence given on the subject some years ago by Mr Bryson, the late firemaster. The question was put why Glasgow had been so notorious for fires above all the other cities of the kingdom, and the only answer that could be given was that it was owing to the bad building. It seemed that many recent fires might be ascribed to the same cause, and he thought the sooner that was put right by the Dean of Guild Court the better. (Hear, hear.) In conclusion, he referred to the efforts that had been made by the Town Council to secure the vacant piece of ground near the Normal School, in New City Road, as the site of new police and fire station premises, and stated that the price asked for it was so high that if the Council had purchased it their action would not have been endorsed by the public. (Applause.)
The proceedings were afterwards brought to a close.
The contractors for the new fire station were :- Messrs. R. & A. Anderson, masons; R. Gilchrist, brickbuilder; J. Cuthbertson, slater; Niven & M’Callum, joiners; Davidson, plasterer; W. Horn, painter; members of Fire Brigade, plumbers; and Anderson & Munro, electricians. Mr John Baxter was clerk of works
(The Glasgow Herald, Saturday, April 13, 1889. Page 9.)

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