EHL229. Fire Plug cast iron wall plate. Location: 40 Bedford Grove, Eastbourne. what3words location: choice.events.tummy

Fire Plug wall plate c1900.  It has been painted yellow and black as per the ‘modern’ colour scheme.

According to many online and written sources the term ‘Fire Plug’ comes from the age of early water mains in larger towns and cities, which were made of hollowed-out wooden tree trunks.  These sources state that holes were cut (approximately 2” diameter) when water was required for fire-fighting purposes, and re-plugged afterwards, but it seems strange that fire-fighters would have the time to dig down to a mains pipe and cut a hole prior to tackling the fire itself.  It seems more likely, as with London after the Great Fire of 1666, that Fire Plugs were pre-installed and ‘extended above ground.’  Whichever method was used, it is true to say that the term ‘Fire Plug’ was used extensively from the Victorian era onwards.  As the ‘new’ cast iron pipes were laid, valves were placed at regular intervals and a metal plate marked ‘F.P.’ (Fire Plug) would then be fixed nearby to indicate an access point for future use in fighting fires.  The ‘F.P.’ plates were later replaced with plates marked ‘H’ for Hydrant, although some of the original ‘F.P.’ plates can still be found, as in this example. The design of the ‘new’ plates varied considerably according to the local water companies supplying the water mains and there was no standardisation until 1938 onwards.  The current signs take the form of a capital ‘H’ in black on a yellow background.  The figure in the upper section is the diameter of the water mains pipe in either inches or millimetres, and the figure in the lower section is the distance from the sign (or plate) in feet or metres.  From 1975 the old imperial signs were to be replaced by local government authorities at their own expense to the new metric versions, but there are still many of the old signs still to be found in Eastbourne, and due cost it is unlikely the remaining imperial ones will ever be changed.