From the Kentish Gazette, 22 August 1865 Canterbury 1.bmp"

GREAT FIRE IN CANTERBURY.

£15,000 WORTH OF PROPERTY DESTROYED.

The observation we have so frequently heard of late respecting the few casualties from fire in Canterbury is true no longer. There have been three serious fires in as many months, and the last, the particulars of which we are now about to record, exceeds in magnitude any similar visitation during the present century. About half-past 8 o’clock on Friday night a fire was discovered to have broken out in High Street, and before its ravages could be stayed the extensive shop and premises of Mr. Pout, auctioneer and upholsterer, as well as those of Mr. J. Abrahams, glass and china dealer; Messrs. Colcock, confectioners; the South Eastern telegraph office; and Mr. Eastes, music seller and pianoforte manufacturer, were reduced to a smouldering heap of ruins; the house and premises of Mr. Harvey, chemist, were gutted and otherwise so much injured that they will have to be rebuilt; and the Kent Herald office was partially taken down to have the "Guildhall Tavern," the shop of Mr. Stapleton, in Guildhall Street, and the Theatre Royal. But the catalogue of destruction is not yet complete. The shops in Mercery-lane had a narrow escape. Indeed the flames had at one time got rather strong hold of Grafton House, occupied by Mr. Wood, draper, and the back of the premises of Mr. Hal Drury, bookseller, both of which are greatly damaged. Mr. Wood’s stock was very much injured by water. The establishment of Messrs. Higham and Hunt was also in imminent danger, and a considerable portion of the stock was removed as a precautionary measure. The back premises extended to within a few feet of the burning buildings, and it was only by the untiring efforts of a number of willing assistants that the fire was prevented from communicating to the mantle and show rooms. Mr. Cladish, grocer, Mr. Matthews, dealer in fancy wares and toys, and Messrs. Claris and Sons drapers, were also sufferers to a minor extent from the action of water and the adoption of precautionary measures. The residents in Sun Street were in a state of the greatest excitement and alarm, and some of them also removed portions of their stock and furniture.

The property facing into Mercery-lane and also into High-street, as far as Mr. Pout's premises shown on the plan, was an hostelry, known as the "Chequers" in the days when the shrine of Thomas a Becket attracted such numbers of pilgrims to the City. By the pilgrims the hostelry was mainly supported, and it is recorded that its accommodation comprised dormitories containing over a hundred beds. The hostelry was immortalised by the poet Chaucer, who was among the celebrities drawn to Canterbury by the fame of its antiquities and religious associations. After the falling off of its trade the "Chequers" became divided into different properties, for the purposes of general trade, the partitions in many cases being of a rather enatic character. This will account for the complicated way in which some of the premises run into and overlap each other. A great portion of the front shops have been re-built and adapted to modern requirements; but the workshops of Mr. Pout were an unmodernized portion of the dormitories of the original "Chequers" the roofs especially were of a very curious character, and few visitors of note have left Canterbury of late years without inspecting them. The portion of the wall now standing among the ruins is part of the original building, traces of which may also be seen on the premises of Mr. Wood, Grafton House, and on other premises in Mercery-lane.

So far as we have been able to ascertain, the fire broke out in Mr. Pout’s workshops, which, as may be seen from the plan, extend along the rear of Messrs. Colcock’s bakery, and over a portion of the premises of Mr. Joel Abrahams, glass and china merchant, which, together with the South Eastern telegraph office, and the shop and workshops occupied by himself, belong to Mr. Pout. The premises occupied as well as owned by Mr. Pout were three storeys high to the front, and over the workshops in the rear were extensive attic rooms used for the storage of hair and feathers. The workshop in which the fire broke out was lighted from the passage shown on the plan in the rear of the houses in Mercery-lane, and the names were first observed by a domestic servant in the employ of Mr. Wood. An alarm was at once raised and a crowd speedily collected. Messengers were dispatched for the fire engines, several of which arrived on the spot in a short time, but some delay occurred before they got into play. The Cathedral engine was the first in position, and was ably handled by the Cathedral workmen aided by a squad of the 6th K. R. V. under Ensign Flint. The Corporation engine, under the control of the police, and the engines of the Kent and Phoenix Fire Offices, the South Eastern and London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Companies successively arrived and took up commanding positions, and ere long the engine of the Barracks, with a strong body of military under the command of Colonel Custance followed suit. We may take this opportunity of saying, that though, owing to some misunderstanding the military fire brigade were not on the spot so early as they might have been, they worked admirably during the night not only with their engine but in removing property. Several officers also took a prominent and active part. Later in the night engines arrived from Ashford, Faversham, and Ramsgate, but not in time to be of much service.

When first discovered the fire had got firm hold of the building in which it originated, and during the time which elapsed before the engines got into play it spread rapidly. The removal of stock and furniture from the shops in High Street was carried on vigorously, the church of St. Mary Bredman, on the opposite side of the street, being kindly thrown open by the Rev. T. S. Huxley, and temporarily converted into a warehouse. Henry Mount, Esq., and others also kindly threw open their houses to receive goods, and large quantities of stock and furniture were saved, though to some extent in a damaged state. From Mr. Pout’s workshops the fire extended first to Mr. Abrahams’s premises, and afterwards in rapid succession to those of the Telegraph Office, Messrs. Colcock, and Mr. Pout’s front shop, and by half-past eleven o’clock nothing was left standing of these except a portion of a wall and two stacks of chimneys which towered up from the wilderness of blazing ruins. From 10 to 11 o’clock, when it became evident that nothing could save the above buildings, the attention of the firemen was directed to saving the shops in Mercery-lane, from which large quantities of stock had been removed, and in this they were successful, though at one time the flames had got considerable hold of Grafton House, and the rear of Mr. Drury’s shop. Such of Mr. Wood’s stock as was not removed, was very much damaged by water, and Mr. Drury, Mr. Cladish, Messrs. Higham and Hunt, Mr. Matthews, and Messrs. Claris and Son suffered heavily from the same cause. The hose from two fire engines were conveyed through Messrs. Higham and Hunt’s shop to play on the blazing pile behind, and these, together with the hose from an engine in Sun Street, carried over the adjoining buildings, rendered very material service.

But it was in the direction of Guildhall-street fire appeared to extend most determinately, and not withstanding the most energetic and well-sustained efforts to arrest its progress, fears were at one time entertained that the "Guildhall Tavern," Mr. Stapleton’s shop, the Theatre Royal, and the Working Men’s Club would all be destroyed. About twelve o’clock the fire got firm hold of the premises of Mr. Eastes, beating back the firemen who had previously occupied positions on the roof; and about the same time orders were given to pull down the premises occupied by Mr. William Davey, jun., publisher of the Kent Herald. About two o clock the front of Mr. Eastes’ house, the last portion to succumb to the fire, fell down with a tremendous crash, an officer and two soldiers narrowly escaping being buried in the ruins. From this time the engines appeared to make head against the fire, which was got under by three o’clock; the back and upper portions of Mr. Harvey's premises were gutted, and the whole so much damaged, that they will have to be taken down. The ruins continued to burn all day on Saturday, and even so late ns Sunday night the fire-engines had to be got out again to extinguish flames which had burst out afresh. We understand that on Sunday night there was some difficulty about obtaining water, the authorities at the Gas Works declining to set the men to work the pumping engine without being guaranteed the "payment of something extra for the men." This involves a complaint of a very grave character against some one, and we trust the circumstances will be strictly investigated.

We have heard various, and some very extravagant estimates of the value of the property destroyed; but at computation we do not think that, at a moderate calculation, it will exceed £14,000 or £15,000. The loss will fall most heavily on the Sun Fire Office; but portions of the property destroyed and stock damaged were insured in the Kent, the Phoenix, the Norwich Union the Law, the County, the London, and the Royal Fanners' Offices. Mr. Pout, who, as above stated, was the owner of the premises in his own occupation, and those of Mr. Abrahams and the Telegraph Office had an insurance in the Sun for £2,600 on the buildings, and £2,135 on his stock; and Mr. Abrahams had an insurance of £600 on his stock, being very little more than one-third of its value. Messrs. Colcock had an insurance of £900 on their premises; but their stock, a portion of which was saved, was not insured. The premises occupied by Mr. Eastes, owned by Mr. Pemell, were insured in the Sun for £700, but we have not ascertained whether any portion of the stock be insured. Mr. Harvey, who is the owner of the premises occupied by himself, was insured in the Norwich Union, for building and stock, to the amount of £---- The Kent Herald office, which, together with the "Guildhall Tavern," the shop occupied by Mr. Stapleton, and the theatre belong to T. S. Cooper, Esq., was insured in the Phoenix for £250, and the stock in the Kent for £300; Mr. Davey had a separate insurance in the Phoenix for £450. Grafton House, belonging to Mr. W. Plummer and Mr. Parrot, and occupied by Mr. G. Wood, draper, is insured — Mr. Plummer's portion of the building, in the Kent, for £1,400; and Mr. Parrot's portion, in the Sun, for £800. The damage done to the building is confined mainly to the portion belonging to Mr. Plummer. Mr. Wood, the tenant, has an insurance for £2,500 on his stock. The premises occupied by Mr. Drury, owned by Mr. T. Blackburn, are insured in the County for £1000, and those of Mr. Cladish, grocer, who is the owner and occupier, in the Sun for £600 and the stock in the same office for £1,200. The premises of Messrs. Higham and Hunt, owned by Mr. M. Martin, are insured in the Sun for £1,400, the tenants insuring their stock to the extent of £8,000, £2,000 in the Norwich Union, £1,200 in the Sun, £2,600 in the London, and £2,500 in the Royal Farmers.

The church of St. Mary Bredman and the houses on the south side of High-street, were considerably damaged by the heat, and fears were at one time entertained that they would catch fire.