Moor Row’s Arched Entrance: A Local Fire Station That Never Was

Moor Row in West Cumbria is a village steeped in industrial history, and like many old communities, it has its fair share of fascinating local stories.

One tale centres on a house on Dalzell Street, which features a prominent and unusual architectural detail: a large, sandstone arched entrance.

This archway is believed to have been the main access point to the long-gone Fishers Court area. 

While other houses nearby have narrow passageways for back access, this one is significantly larger. This size difference has sparked a persistent local rumour: that the house was once a volunteer fire station.

The Story Versus The Facts

While the idea is a well-known part of Moor Row's oral history, it's important to separate local belief from documented evidence.

Extensive searches through historical records, including official archives and local newspapers offers no evidence that the house on Dalzell Street formally operated as a fire station or the headquarters for a volunteer crew.

In fact, people who have lived in the house report finding no sign of old firefighting equipment.

However, when you look at the lay of the land, it is easy to see why the rumour has lasted for so long.

The Clues: Location, Location, Location

The crucial feature is the large passageway, which runs directly from Dalzell Street (the front) all the way through the house to the rear, where Fishers Court used to be. This continuous, front-to-back access strongly supports the theory of a strategic entrance.

The passage would have been wide enough to fit a small, hand-drawn fire engine, or 'tender unit', and the location was strategically perfect for a few reasons:

• Water Supply: Keeping the fire engine in Fishers Court would put the crew close to a potential water source, which was vital for quickly tackling a blaze.
• The Railway Link: Crucially, it was very close to the railway. In the 1800s, the railway was a major source of fire risk (from sparks) and an essential industrial asset. Protecting it would have been a top priority for any local fire brigade.

This prime spot - close to both water and the transport hub - offers a compelling explanation for the story, even if the building itself never officially served the purpose.

Fire Engines of the 1800s

Before we had widespread steam and petrol engines, volunteer brigades across the UK relied heavily on hand-operated pumps, often called 'hand engines'. These were wheeled appliances, sometimes looking like large tubs on wheels. 

How they worked: A crew of men would push long, alternating levers up and down. This action drove internal pistons, forcing water out in a continuous stream. They needed a constant supply of water, which was brought to the pump's tank by a bucket brigade or sucked up by hose from the nearest well or river. It was exhausting work for dedicated volunteers.

The size of the archway on Dalzell Street suggests it could have easily accommodated one of these smaller, hand-drawn pumps.

It’s highly likely that the fire shed itself was built just behind the arch, within the enclosed area of Fishers Court, specifically to house this equipment.

A Necessity for Local Industry

The need for fire protection wasn't just a community effort; it was a core business investment by the local industrial companies, likely established around 1885.

This was defensive infrastructure put in place to protect their valuable assets - the goods yard, the mine buildings - and their workforce.

By placing the pump in Fishers Court, which was on their land and accessed from Dalzell Street, the company ensured its local, employee-based volunteer crew (likely miners and railway workers) could get to the pump instantly.

This strategic placement minimised the time needed for volunteers to turn out, directly linking industrial security to the daily lives of the local people.

Once fire fighting was standardised under the National Fire Service in 1941, the need for a local industrial pump ended, and the equipment was probably sold or scrapped. 

When the shed itself was later demolished, the archway remained. Today, the sandstone arch stands as a subtle but memorable reminder of the community's industrial past and the practical demands of firefighting in a bygone era - a time when local heroes relied on sheer manpower, quick access, and a strategic location to protect their village.

Dalzell Street Archway Illustration