On 15 November 1824 a fire started in Edinburgh. It broke out in James Kirkwood’s engraving workshop on the second floor of the Old Assembly Close, a narrow alleyway just off the High Street, and was to last 5 days.

Edinburgh’s newly formed fire brigade, the first of its kind, was under the leadership of James Braidwood.

The firefighters had difficulty finding a water source, and the fire, in the tightly packed tenemental buildings, began to spread. The firemen bravely battled on watched by a crowd of onlookers marvelling at the spectacle of the devastating conflagration.

400-500 people had been made homeless, 13 people had been killed (two of whom were firefighters) and many more were injured. – The Great Fire of Edinburgh.

To find out more about this momentous event, its aftermath, and of both the Edinburgh and Leith Fire Brigade, click on this link: Museum of Scottish Fire Heritage.