256:, Law Officers and "Gentlemen of Importance"), assuming authority under older municipal regulations, were found to have issued contradictory orders to the harassed firemen. This finding prompted the passing of a new regulation whereby the City Firemaster (or, in his absence, his Deputy) was to be given complete command of all firefighting operations, a ruling subsequently adopted throughout Britain's fire services. The inquiry also criticised the inadequate number of firecocks that had been available to the firefighters and recommended improvements. Within a year the number for the whole town was increased from 45 to 97, with 88 more following later. The brigade was also fully re-equipped.
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The south side of the Royal Mile from the Tron Kirk to
Parliament Square was rebuilt as a planned run of well-proportioned but plain five-storey Georgian tenements. Some of the eastern blocks, which suffered less fire damage, incorporated some earlier fabric such as turret stairs. To the west a large
259:
The fire opened the way for a more formal completion of the
Scottish Law Courts in Parliament Square. This had been proposed as early as 1807, but blocked since 1810 by owners on the east side of the square. The fire destroyed the buildings they had been trying to retain and may have been viewed as a
112:
after the subsequent rebuilding of the affected area). This blaze started on the top floor of an eleven-story building overlooking the
Cowgate. This led to claims of divine intervention and punishment from God, as well as deliberate fire-raising. It was more likely the result of a still smouldering
251:
Amidst mounting public criticism of the new fire brigade and its young firemaster, an inquiry was held after the disaster. Braidwood and his "pioneers" (as the first firemen were called) were exonerated from all blame. The inquiry found that there had been confusion as to who had been in charge of
125:
collapsed and the fire continued to spread down Conn's Close towards the
Cowgate. Due mainly to a downpour of rain, the conflagration was brought under control by Wednesday evening, although small outbreaks continued and final smouldering did not cease until Friday, 19 November. Over the following
88:
Due to the narrowness of the alleyway, the fire spread quickly to adjoining buildings, first affecting those to the east of
Fishmarket Close and later spreading along the roofs of the High Street through embers carried by a southwesterly breeze. By midnight, four tenements were ablaze as the fire
301:
from more serious damage. The statue was created by the
Glasgow sculptor, Kenneth Mackay, and paid for from a fund set up by the late Dr Frank Rushbrook CBE, then 93-year-old former Firemaster at Lothian & Borders Fire Brigade.
85:. Although this new force arrived quickly with their custom-built fire engines, they had difficulty locating a water supply and did not begin to tackle the blaze until 11pm, by which time six stories of the building were ablaze.
113:
ember. This second phase of the fire began to consume the buildings on the east side of
Parliament Close. Efforts focused on saving the adjacent Parliament Hall and Law Courts, and stopping the fire leaping to
227:
An estimated 400 homes were destroyed, with 400-500 families left homeless. Thirteen people died including those of two firemen and many people were injured. Historic homes destroyed included that of
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made watercolour sketches during this second phase, viewing the fire from the west. By 5am on
Wednesday 17 November, the fire was described as "grand and terrific". The building housing the
297:, master of the newly formed Edinburgh fire brigade which had fought the fire, was unveiled in Parliament Square. The spot was chosen to mark the stand made by the fire brigade to save
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surviving building was nicknamed "Salamander Land" (due to the legend that salamanders can survive fire). This survived until the 1860s when it was replaced by the Police
Chambers.
93:. The Old Assembly Hall at the centre of the fire (which had given its name to the close) was destroyed during the night. Around midday on Tuesday, 16 November, the spire on the
62:
The fire broke out around 10pm on 15 November 1824, in James
Kirkwood's engraving workshop on the second floor of the Old Assembly Close, a narrow alleyway just off the
97:
caught fire and molten lead began to pour from its roof. Although firemen succeeded in reaching the roof of the church, the fierceness of the blaze forced them back.
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days, engineers from the castle and navy were employed to pull down the highly unsafe remnants of buildings left precariously balanced along the closes.
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At 10pm on Tuesday evening a secondary outbreak occurred in buildings on the corner of High Street and Parliament Close (renamed
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The city of Edinburgh had formed a permanent fire brigade only two months earlier under its new firemaster
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344:"Aye Ready!" The History of Edinburgh Fire Brigade, the Oldest Municipal Brigade in Britain
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54:. It started on Monday, 15 November 1824, and lasted for five days, with two major phases.
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This article is about the 1824 fire. For the 16th-century English assault on the city, see
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Old Assembly Close: four seven-storey tenements lost and the Assembly Hall (a ballroom)
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J Gifford, C McWilliam, D Walker, The Buildings of Scotland, Edinburgh, Penguin 1984
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The fire attracted huge crowds of spectators including a large number of Law Lords:
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Notable residents who lost their home in the fire included
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The Scotsman - Lost Edinburgh: The Great Fire of Edinburgh
346:. Edinburgh: South Eastern Fire Brigade. pp. 10–13.
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Old Fishmarket Close: four six-storey tenements lost and
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was one of the most destructive fires in the history of
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was rebuilt in 1828, with a tall stone spire in the
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James Braidwood biography on Unidiscovered Scotland
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252:the firefighting operation. Public officials (
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366:Cassell's Old and New Edinburgh vol II p.242
1152:Edinburgh International Television Festival
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145:(Solicitor General, later Lord Hope); the
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384:Grant's Old and New Edinburgh vol.2 p.242
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169:Conn's Close: two timber-framed 'lands' (
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27:City fire in City of Edinburgh, Scotland
862:Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
43:A contemporary illustration of the fire
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1137:Edinburgh International Book Festival
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179:Borthwick's Close: six tenements lost
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210:Old Assembly Hall destroyed.
73:One of Edinburgh's earliest
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1023:Edinburgh Airport Rail Link
832:National Museum of Scotland
151:Henry (later Lord) Cockburn
48:The Great Fire of Edinburgh
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184:Neill & Co printworks
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595:Edinburgh Stock Exchange
342:Reid, Alexander (1974).
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620:Great Fire of Edinburgh
564:Visit of King George IV
135:John Boyle of Shewalton
1322:Disasters in Edinburgh
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852:Royal Scottish Academy
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694:Brass Founders' Pillar
489:Parliament of Scotland
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559:North British Railway
293:In 2008, a statue of
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89:advanced towards the
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1332:November 1824 events
1278:55.94972°N 3.18944°W
968:Edinburgh BioQuarter
918:Royal Lyceum Theatre
709:Craiglockhart Castle
575:Edwin of Northumbria
514:Edinburgh town walls
464:Mary, Queen of Scots
459:Burning of Edinburgh
32:Burning of Edinburgh
18:Great Edinburgh Fire
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893:Edinburgh Playhouse
837:National War Museum
827:Museum of Edinburgh
817:Fruitmarket Gallery
794:St Giles' Cathedral
666:Scottish Parliament
509:Treaty of Edinburgh
479:Kingdom of Scotland
277:The steeple of the
268:St. Giles Cathedral
201:newspaper destroyed
119:David Octavius Hill
1302:1820s in Edinburgh
1283:55.94972; -3.18944
958:Caledonian Brewery
822:The Georgian House
544:Disruption of 1843
539:Church of Scotland
299:St Giles Cathedral
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58:Sequence of events
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1096:Napier University
1071:Edinburgh College
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789:St Andrew's House
744:National Monument
729:Forth Road Bridge
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484:Act of Union 1707
199:Edinburgh Courant
141:(Lord Advocate);
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110:Parliament Square
16:(Redirected from
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1281: /
754:Old College
749:New College
704:Calton Hill
605:Silvermills
534:James Craig
529:Robert Adam
64:High Street
1296:Categories
1266:55°56′59″N
1062:Health and
933:Usher Hall
888:(proposed)
847:Public art
699:Bute House
647:Governance
580:Devolution
494:David Hume
353:0950376809
306:References
283:Wren style
164:Royal Mile
117:. A young
1269:3°11′22″W
1125:Festivals
1086:Hospitals
1064:education
1004:Transport
677:landmarks
610:Tron riot
454:Etymology
435:Edinburgh
279:Tron Kirk
239:Aftermath
171:tenements
143:John Hope
95:Tron Kirk
52:Edinburgh
1212:Category
1157:Hogmanay
524:New Town
519:Old Town
205:John Kay
1236:Outline
1224:Commons
1106:Schools
1018:Airport
1013:A1 road
944:Economy
808:Museums
590:Lothian
445:History
254:Bailies
91:Cowgate
1248:Portal
350:
272:ashlar
149:; and
1053:Trams
585:Burgh
568:Sir
348:ISBN
231:and
220:and
1298::
334:^
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66:.
426:e
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34:.
20:)
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