What after the Smithfield Poultry Market Fire of 1958

In the early hours of 23 January 1958, London saw one of its worst fires since the Blitz. The scene was the basement of the Smithfield Poultry Market, in the heart of the City of London.

Two firefighters, Station Officer Jack Fourt-Wells (aged 46) and Firefighter Richard Stocking (aged 31) lost their lives fighting this fire, and around 50 other firefighters from stations across London were injured or treated for smoke inhalation. All members of the public were safely evacuated.

Over three days the fire burned and raced through the 2.5 acres of basements underneath Smithfield Market, the flames leaping up through the Poultry Hall. Firefighters from Clerkenwell Fire Station were the first at the scene, including Fourt-Wells and Stocking.

To tackle this blaze, fire stations across London sent a total of 1,700 fire fighters. Over 389 fire engines and other support vehicles either attended the fire or were moved across London to provide relief and fire cover.

The fire started in the basements, which were stacked with hundreds of crates of poultry, beneath the Poultry Market. It quickly spread due to the wooden match boarding lining the basements. Over the years, these had become soaked with fat that further fuelled the size and speed of the fire.

The Times on January 25 reported: “By dawn the stalls and contents of the market had been destroyed, the roof had collapsed and the walls, a blackened shell, enclosed a twisted heap of ironwork and broken masonry… The floor of the poultry market collapsed shortly after 2am… Heat caused an explosion at one corner of the market and paving stones were thrown into the air… Flames 100ft high lit the night sky.”

At this time, the basements were a series of small rooms and corridors. The fire caused them to fill with thick, acrid smoke and so the firefighters felt like they were entering a labyrinth. This, combined with a collapse of frozen meat packages and carcasses, trapped Jack Fourt-Wells and Richard Stocking.

Their colleagues were unable to find them before their oxygen ran out. They were wearing ‘Proto’ oxygen sets, which at the time were state of the art. Many attempts were made to resuscitate both men, but tragically they were pronounced dead at the scene.

The London Fire Brigade describes this as a “landmark fire in the history of London”. The tragedy resulted in improvements to the breathing apparatus (BA) and procedures used by firefighters nation-wide and are still in use today. Improvements included using compressed air cylinders, and an automatic warning signal which sounds when oxygen levels run low.

Also, BA boards were introduced to keep track of the location of the firefighters and the timings of when they entered the fire. A BA Controller could now manage these systems, ensuring firefighters didn’t run out of oxygen.

London County Council also sought special powers to be able to deal with fire precautions across all the central London markets.

The fire utterly destroyed the Victorian Poultry Market building, with the distinctive towers collapsing during the blaze. The new building didn’t just seek to replace what was, instead the architects TP Bennett and Son, working with the structural engineers Ove Arup and Partners, sought to push the boundaries of what was possible. The latter is also working on the New Museum project.

The Poultry Market, built between 1961 and 1963 for £2 million, featured Europe’s largest clear-spanning concrete shell roof (69 x 38m). Its elliptical paraboloid design, with copper-clad gables, visually linked it to the Victorian market buildings. The striking structure modernised the market, improving efficiency and serving as a template for future renovations.

In 2000, it was granted Grade II listed status for its architectural and historic significance.

Opened in 1875, Sir Horace Jones designed the Victorian Poultry Market for optimal functionality, incorporating industrial-age advancements.

TP Bennett’s later redesign modernized the market with a double-height hall, ground-floor stalls, and an office gallery on the first floor. Efficiency improvements included covered delivery bays, automatic ventilation, and a redesigned basement with integrated refrigeration and insulation.

The layout replaced the previous labyrinth of rooms with a more open design.

The new basement also housed the Cock Tavern, a pub with an early license catering to market workers.

Pubs with early licences were common around markets, docks or other industry sites with shift workers. A lot of market business was conducted in these ‘early houses’. It also acknowledged that for shift workers or market workers their working day ended in the early hours, and they’d want a drink and some food.

These pubs are famous for their cooked breakfasts accompanied by a pint.

Smithfield used to have at least half a dozen early houses. However, there’s been a recent decline due to increasing prices, the anti-drink/drive campaigns and the congestion charge in 2003. The Cock Tavern closed in 2013. The Hope and The Fox and Anchor are two of only three early houses still operating in central London.

We’re currently working on our vision of what the new London Museum will look like: could it include a new Cock Tavern? Fancy breakfast and a pint before your visit to the museum?

As the museum prepares to move into its new home in Smithfield, including the Poultry Market basements, documenting the site’s history – from its medieval beginnings as a ‘smooth field’ right up to the present day – is increasingly important.

The Poultry Market fire is just one example of the rich history of the area. It was a tragic event that changed British firefighting and led to the introduction of new innovative architecture in the area.

Kate Sumnall is Curator at London Museum.