A visit to the home to the UK’s Chartered Insurance Institute reveals a singular collection of ancient Fire Marks – metal plaques inscribed with the name of an insurance company and often vividly decorated.
The CII headquarters is one of only two buildings in the City of London that escaped serious damage or destruction in the bombing raids of World War II (The other was St. Paul’s Cathedral). The organization has been collecting fire marks for many years. It now has over 2000 of them, many dating from the 18th century. It’s probably the largest collection in the world.
In the formative years of the P/C insurance industry fire was the most feared catastrophe. The “Great Fire” of London in 1666 destroyed most of the city, and prompted the organization of “Friendly Societies,” which eventually became the world’s first fire insurers.
The Fire Marks identified premises covered by insurance in order to direct fire brigades to them. Until the 19th century municipal fire departments were practically unknown, so the insurance companies organized their own firefighters to try and save the properties they insured.
The majority of the CII’s collection is from the UK and Europe, but it also includes Fire Marks from the U.S. and at least one from Tokio Marine in Japan.
To learn more about these bygone symbols of the beginnings of the P/C insurance industry go to: http://www.firemarkcircle.fsnet.co.uk , a web site for collectors and enthusiasts operated by the Fire Mark Circle.
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