History of Dover

A big fire occurred last night in the rear of Mayfield Avenue in a building belonging to Mr. W. G, Lewis, occupied by Messrs. Ibett and Brisly builders carpenters.  These workshops were totally destroyed by fire while valuable machinery that cost over £500 was ruined, and a large quantity of moulding and joinery that had been made for various buildings was destroyed together with the tools of five workmen.  Messrs. Ibett and Brisly estimate their loss at over £700, the amount of which they were insured.  The loss by destruction of buildings is brought up to over £1,000.

The alarm of fire was given in various parts of the town a few minutes past nine.  Police constable McManus who was going on his beat in Barton Road, saw flames and at the same time someone came running down from Mayfield Avenue with the information where the fire was. Police constable McManus blew the fire call just as Sergeant Cadman and Police constable Maxted were coming up at the double from Barton Path to see what was wrong.  Situated on high ground, as Mayfield Avenue is close under the Deal Railway embankment, the flames could be seen all over Dover, and large bodies of police and other helpers were soon on the scene.  To the west of the workshops on fire are a coach-house and stable used by Mr. R. M. Marks and containing a horse and van.  A number of men quickly made a rush for the stable and breaking in the door took to a place of safety, but fortunately the stables were not damaged.

The hose reel from Union Road in a few minutes was brought up and water began to play on the fire, but owing to the height above sea level being nearly the same as the water works reservoir the force was not so great as could be wished.  The place in which the fire is supposed to have originated was the part of the workshop where the gas engines of 14-horse power made by the Stockport Company.  The workshop was soon ablaze and the flames soon caught the adjoining office, a smaller building to the south and by half past nine both were burning furiously.  Hose reels from all parts of the town by this time were on the scene and nearly the whole of the night duty police as well as civilian helpers.  A crowd of quite six thousand were collected to the spot.  By ten o’clock the fire was blazing at it’s full force, both workshops and offices being well alight, while in one corner a specially big blaze showed where the flames had set the gas meter on fire.  The combined attack of the many well directed jets of water about half past ten had got the flames down sufficiently to allow the police to approach the workshop, then it was decided to batter the walls down.

The office was pulled down first, and then with long planks used as battering rams the walls of the other building were one by one demolished in a skilful way, which resulted in them falling inwards and helping to extinguish the flames.  Afterwards there was a lot of hard work that lasted till midnight in putting out the burning ruins.  The wind coming from the south west fortunately blew the flames clear of Mayfield Avenue or else an even more alarming fire would have occurred.  As it was, most of the windows adjacent houses were cracked and scorched.  In order to cope with the burning gas the mains had to be dug up and cut.  The machinery contained in the workshop included the gas engine worth £130, a tenon cutter, new, which cost £60, two planning machines, a circular saw and bench, a grinding machine, a mortising machine, and a vertical moulding machine altogether value about £500 and in splendid order being but eighteen months old. (November 1901)