Situated adjacent to the Wool Shed Museum (which we visited on Sunday) is the Jubilee Fire Museum. This small museum declares it “celebrates a bygone era in fire fighting services”. Pride of place is the Jubilee horse drawn fire appliance, a magnificent example of Victorian engineering. Purchased by the Masterton Borough Council in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, the town’s first fire engine was named the Jubilee Fire Engine in recognition of this milestone.
Jubilee Fire Engine
The Jubilee appliance is a horse drawn Shand Mason steam pump, which can deliver 300 gallons (1440 litres) of water per minute. The engine was fired by coal, which burned in an under-slung fire bucket. Fires were a major hazard to the early settlers, with fire spreading rapidly between houses and commercial buildings all constructed of native timber. The Jubilee had a long and active working life, remaining in active service until 1925 when a motorised appliance was purchased.
The museum has various fire fighting photos, uniforms and memorabilia scattered around. (Did you know that Robin worked for the NZ Fire Service for 5 years as a Contracts Manager purchasing the new style gold coloured protective clothing for fire fighters?) I particularly liked the fireman sliding down the pole, dressed in his long woollen underwear. He’s off to save the town from burning down!
Down the pole
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