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Church blaze 140 years on
The smouldering wreckage of Croydon Parish Church after the great fire of 1867. the combination of a fierce blizzard, gale-force winds and a water shortage all played their part in one of the biggest fires Croydon had ever seen.
In 2007 it was the 140th anniversary of the Croydon Parish Church blaze, but many believe it could have been contained had it not been for a series of mishaps brought on by a supposed bitter rivalry between two local fire brigades. The fire is thought to have originated from an incorrectly installed flue which overheated at 10.30pm on a Saturday night when the church was empty. High winds meant the small flames spread rapidly and the Croydon volunteer fire brigade, in Crown Hill, was called just before llpm.
However in their haste to get to the scene, and in their enthusiasm to prove their worth to their more experienced counterparts the amateur firefighters forgot a small but vital part of their operation to call the person who would switch on the supply of reservoir water. Because of Croydon's rapid growth, water was conserved by switching off the supply at 10.30pm and fire crews were required to call the turncock when they attended a callout. The bungling but well-meaning volunteers had problems finding the water plugs because heavy snow had covered the ground and the first flow of water did not reach the scene until 35 minutes after the fire was discovered.
The Croydon Times reported: "When it did at last reach the hoses it was too late to be of any use. By that time the firemen were half suffocated and were being dragged out of danger."
Hundreds of people watched as the flames mixed with snowflakes and gale-force winds which created a spectacular display of showering sparks dancing through the night sky. The flames took on a variety of colours as it burned behind and then burst through the church's stained glass windows.
At 11.30pm the roof collapsed in a shower of sparks and the heat was so intense it melted the church bells and sent a stream of molten metal to the tower's base. By the time the fire crew from the local health board arrived, machinery had frozen in the strong winds and snow, rendering it useless. The blizzard was so severe London fire crews, who were sent a telegram asking for help, were unable to reach it by road. When they eventually arrived by train the fire had burned itself out.
The report added: that many of the congregation were not aware of the tragedy and were confronted with an amazing sight when they arrived for morning service on the first Sunday of 1867."
Nearly everything was destroyed in the church which dated back nearly 1,000 years. Both volunteer and professional fire crews were criticised in the weeks following the fire for their rivalry and failure to coordinate the operation.
Historian and church parishioner Sue Turnball said: "The rivalry between the two fire crews was quite shocking. There was a lot of one upmanship in who got to the fire first, so much so that it was suggested they started fires deliberately so they could be the first ones there.
The congregation of Croydon Parish Church was said to have spent the next three years worshipping in an iron church in Scarbrook Road until the structure had been restored, which is the building standing in Church Street today.