William Rose and Co. founded in 1830 was a company manufacturing hoses, fire escapes (ladders) and other fire-fighting equipment at the Metropolitan Works, Oldfield Road, Salford in north-west England. By the 1890s, they had supplied over a hundred fire brigades with horse-drawn fire manual fire engines, fire escapes, hose tenders and carts. In 1897 Rose built his first steam fire engines, which were very similar design to those offered by Shand, Mason & Co. The first two engines built were 350 gpm machines and went to Selly Oak and Kings Norton in Birmingham, but the range was later expanded to include 250 gpm and 450 gpm models. Rose's engines were of very high quality and won a number of awards, often proving themselves superior to the products of Merryweather and Shand Mason.
William Rose & Co. stopped building steam fire engines in 1902, but the Metropolitan Works continued producing fire hoses until its eventual closure in 1974.
Surviving appliances[]
Serial No. Year Size/Type Owner/Location
- 466 1892 Metropolitan Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, Holywood, Co. Down, Northern Ireland (photo above)
- n/a 1876 Metropolitan Burton upon Trent Fire Station, Staffordshire, England
- n/a n/a Metropolitan Essen, Germany
- n/a n/a Metropolitan n/a
- n/a 1900 Double Vertical n/a
- n/a ? Fire pump - Bradford Industrial Museum (photo to add)
See also[]
References / sources[]
- Graces Guide - http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/William_Rose_and_Co
External links[]
- www.britih steam fire engine.org history site with list of known engines