There will be a rare chance for families to see a 100-year-old working fire engine, try on some fire kit and celebrate the history of firefighting when London Fire Brigade hosts a Fire Engine Festival at its pop up museum.
The event takes place on Saturday, 9 September and a selection of nine different Brigade vehicles will be on display. These will range from one of the earliest motorised fire engines from 1916 right up to our rainbow Pride pump which was launched earlier this year.
The rainbow appliance was specially decorated as part of the Brigade’s Pride celebrations and signified its biggest ever involvement in the LGBT+ festival.
The pop up museum is at The Workshop in Lambeth High Street – which is the building the Brigade used as a the fire engine workshop for 70 years.
As well as seeing all the vintage fire engines, visitors will be able to learn about how they work and try on fire gear
The free event, which is on from 10am to 3pm, is part of the Lambeth Heritage Festival taking place throughout September.
There will also be a host of other fun activities at The Workshop.
The Institute of Imagination will be helping children make motorised fire engines and encouraging parents and grandparents to get involved too.
Kidesign will be using 3D software to design fire stations and the Meanwhile Club will be repotting chilies to fit in with the fire and heat theme.
Migration Museum, Creative Sparkworks and other partner organisations will also be there.
Assistant Curator Elena Lewendon said: “The Fire Engine Festival is an exciting opportunity to see fire engines from across the ages, in a setting which is an important part of the Brigade’s history.
“As part of the wider heritage celebration, there’s lots going on and it will be a fantastic event for all the family.
“Our museum staff and volunteers are really looking forward to welcoming visitors and sharing their knowledge about these wonderful vintage vehicles.”