The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-19 00:00:00

FIRE IN ALDERMANBURY.

Last evening, about twenty minutes before eight
o'clock, a destructive conflagration, involving loss of
property to the amount of nearly 20,0001., broke out in
the premises of Messrs. Bradbury, Greatorex, and Beale,
French, Scotch, and Manchester vrarehouvemen, of No.
6, Aldermanbury.
The premises in question are considered as those
almost the largest in that line of business in the city of
London, extending in the rear from Aldermanbury to
the western end of the Guildhall, and abutting on Dyers-
court, on the northern side of the church of St. Law-
rence Jess ry.

The fire was first discovered by the porters employed
by the firm to have broken out in the basement, or
cellar, of the building, and although an immediate
alarm was raised, so rapid, in consequence of the com-
bustible nature of the stock, were the flames, that be-
fore any assistance could arrive the whole of the lower
portion of the premises were on fire, which speedily
caught the warehouse on the grotind-floor, and
extended to the upper rooms. In less than a quarter
of an hour, the whole of these extensive warehouses
were in flames from the basement to the roof,
and the light created thereby was visible in every part
of London. The bridges were crowded with spectators ;
an I Bow Church, the church of St. Lawrence Jewry, and
the surrounding edifices were shown out in bold relief
from the objects of lesser elevation more immediately
surrounding them. The flames continued to increase,
and from the lurid glare on the turrets of Guildhall
shortly after eight o'clock, the greatest apprehensions
were entertained that that ancient edifice was involved in
the conflagration.
So rapid was the progress of the fire, that the whole
building was one mass of flames before an engine arrived,
the first being that of St. Lawrence Jewry. This was
speedily followed by the brigade from the Watling street
and other stations, and also the County and the West of
England. Notwithstanding the exertions of the firemen,
under the orders of Superintendent Braidwood, the fire
continued to progres, and at one time the whole of Alder-
manbury, Guildhall, and the church of St. Lawrence
Jewry, were considered in imminent danger ; and, but for
the extraordinary exertions of the firemen, they must
have fallen a prey to the flames.
A young man, named Diamond, was in the top floor
at the time the alarm was given, and so rapid were the
flames that he was forced to escape without his coat,
whilst another, named Samuel, asserts that it was with
no small degree of difficulty that those on the ground.
floor were enabled to escape. Mr. Beale, one of the
firm, had only arrived from Glasgow yesterday after-
noon, and upwards of 10,0001. worth of goods had been
received during the day.
The adjacent premises of Messrs. Stone and Com-
pany, grocers and tea dealers, No. 5, Aldermanbury,
were seriously damaged by water and fire. The flames
were got under by half-past nine o'clock, and it is be-
lieved that not only every vestige of property, but even
the books of the .firm, are consumed. By half-past ten
o'clock the fire was extinguished.
It is believed that the premises and stock are valued
at upwards of 50,0004 and that they are insured ; but,
owing to the confusion, it is impossible at present to
ascertain.

[ANOTHER ACCOUNT.]
One of the most extensive fires that has occurred in
.he city for a considerable period broke out lait evening,
between the hours of seven and eight, in the spacious
range of premises,_ belonging to Messrs. Bradbury and
Greatorex, Manchester warehousemen, situate at No. 6,
Aldermanbury. The premises in question were five
stories high, including the basement, and were bounded
on every side by numerous similar buildings. The Guild-
hall flanked the premises on the east, Dyers-court, a
large and tall row of warehouses, were on the north ;
and Fountain-court, used as warehouses, intersected
Aldermanbury on the south. The whole covered an
area of ground of vast extent.
The fire commenced in that part of Messrs. Bradbury's
premises, termed the Scotch warehouse, filled with a
costly assortment of goods. At that time a number of
the workpeople were in the building, who endeavoured
as well as they could to extinguish the flames ; in that
however they were unsuccessful, for owing to the
very combustible nature of the goods, the fire spread
right and left with fearful rapidity. Seeing that it
was impossible to subdue the conflagration without
additional aid, an alarm was spread in the
usual way, a messenger being dispatched to give
intelligence at the engine stations. During the short
time that was thus necessarily lost, the fire mounted
most fearfull , seizing upon everything in the warehouse
in which. • menced, and extending from thence to
the u er fi• • , so that -bkthe period the engines from
th nd Watling street stations could arrive, the
grea f=po ion ofjhe betilding was enveloped in one
brsheet of flainFlyhrushed out of the different
floi:irrith a loud anefesienoise.
The firemen exPitexi,ii&mselves to the utmost, to pre-
vent, if possible, the-fill es from extending beyond the
premises in which they commenced. Their labours,
however, were not quite successful ; in less than twenty
minutes after the outbreak, every part of the spacious
building was on fire, and when the roof fell in, the fiery
fragments were scattered by the wind over the surround-
ing premises, setting in flames the adjoining house in
Fountain-court, belonging to Messrs. Coster, James,
and Co., warehousemen.

At this conjuncture the flames rose to such an alarm-
ing height as to be distinctly visible from every part of
London. _ _

By half past nine o'clock the fire was at its height ; at
that time there were seven hundred square feet of solid
flame ascending high into the air, and extending across
the carriage-way of Aldermanbury, setting the windows
and doors of the opposite houses in a gent ral blaze. In
this extremity, Mr. Crookland, the fireman of the
district, and Mr. Braidwood had the engines of the
London establishment brought to the sides and back of
the blazing premises, while Mr. Connerton had the
branch of the West of England engine directed through
the front windows and against the opposite windows.

By strenuous and skilful exertions the firemen, to-
wards half-past ten o'clock, began to get the mastery
over the flames, and in the course of another fifteen mi-
nutes they yielded completely to the great power of
water that was cast upon them.
It is hardly necessary to say, that by this period the
whole of the spacious range of premises of Messrs. Brad-
bury and Co. wire reduced to a misshapen mass of
ruins, the valuable stock in trade consumed, and the
undermentioned premises more or less damaged:—Mr.
Stone and Co., tea dealer', No. 5, Aldermanbury;
Messrs. Coster, James, and Co., No. 4, Aldermanbury;
Messrs. Oliver and Co., merchants, Nos. 7 and 8 in the
same thoroughfare; Messrs. Chadwick, warehousemen,
No. 4, Dyer's-court; Messrs. Allen and Tollys, whole-
sale milliners; and Messrs. Coster, James, and Co., in
Fountain-court.