Insurance Fire Marks
The survival of metal badges, known as fire-marks, on the outside walls of nine buildings in Steventon is one of the many unusual and interesting features of the village.
The idea of insuring one’s home against the ever present risk of fire took hold in the 17th and 18th centuries, especially following the Great Fire of London in 1666, and many insurance companies were established.
As there was no obligation on local authorities to provide fire-brigades until1938 and no National Fire Service until 1941, the various companies often had to fill the gap themselves, by setting up their own fire-brigades, singly or in combination. Naturally, they only attended fires at properties insured by themselves, such properties being identified by distinctive metal badges fixed to their outside walls, which also served as publicity for the insurance company in question.
Badges were often decorative: Steventon examples include figures of Britannia (for the County Fire Office), the Sun, Phoenix and the Royal Exchange
