Keeling style fire engine

This fire engine was built in London in around 1678 by John Keeling, a pumpmaker at Blackfriars. It is basically a barrel on wheels with a pumping mechanism in the centre. The wheels and the arms of the pump are missing from this example. The barrel would have to be re-filled regularly with buckets of water while the machine operated. Keeling's trade card shows the engine being used. Four men pumped the arms, shooting water out of a metal spout in the centre.

After the Great Fire of London, more fire engines were ordered and all 12 of the main City livery companies had to have one. However, they were expensive and the old methods of using squirts, buckets of water and pulling down houses were still heavily relied upon. It wasn't until the 1700s that fire engine technology improved and their use became more common.

In 2016 this fire engine was restored by Croford Coachbuilders, who have recreated the missing wheels, undercarriage and pumping arms. During restoration work the pumping mechanism was examined and it was discovered that the fire engine could only squirt six pints of water each time the arms were pumped. This meant that it was not a very efficient machine. Firefighters would also need to stay fairly close to the fire as the water would only reach a few feet away from the engine.
This engine was made for the town of Dunstable and was kept by the town for many years. It was last used in Dunstable in the 1840s and then sold to a fire appliance company in 1886. The engine was originally loaned to the London Museum in 1928 and has since been donated to the Museum of London's permanent collection.