Fire mark

Fire marks were placed on the outside of buildings to indicate that the property was insured by a specific company. This identification was particularly important in London before the introduction of street numbering in the 1760s. Householders with fire insurance could expect the company to send its 'fire brigade' to put out the fire. Insurance companies often had reciprocal arrangements with each other so that if a fire brigade put out a fire at a house insured by a different company then the brigade's company would be reimbursed. In 1826 an agreement was reached between the Sun Fire office, the Royal Exchange Assurance and the Phoenix Fire Office to combine their brigades under the leadership of one superintendent. This provided the basis for the creation of the London Fire Engine Establishment in 1833.

This fire mark was issued by the Union Assurance Office which was founded in 1714 in the City of London. Originally known as the Union Fire Office, the company began its life trading in the Amsterdam Coffee House on Threadneedle Street. The company initially insured only household and trade goods, but not buildings. It worked closely with the Hand in Hand Fire Office which only offered building cover. From 1805 the Union Fire Office began to insure buildings and established its own fire brigade in 1806. In 1813 the company changed its name to the Union Assurance Company after it began offering life insurance policies.