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Wrinch Fire

1928 , Ipswich (Suffolk)

Cat no. 65

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The fire at Wrinch & Sons Cabinet Makers, 1928

This film shows the devastating fire at Wrinch & Sons on Portman Road on July 7th, 1928. The film shows shots of the fire burning during the night. Fire crews are tackling the blaze. There follow day time shots of the smouldering wreckage, still being hosed by fire-fighters. There are shots of the crowd, viewing the destruction through the railings and then shots of the Labour Exchange next door. This was also ruined.

Featured Buildings

Wrinch & Sons Factory, Portman Road; Ruins of Ministry of Labour Employment Exchange

Featured Events

The fire at Wrinch & Sons Cabinet Makers, 1928

Keywords

Fire; The Labour Exchange; Wrinch & Sons

Intertitles

Wrinch & Sons Cabinet Makers. Works burnt to the ground. 300 hands thrown out of employment. The Labour Exchange was also gutted.

Background Information

Wrinch & Sons were established in 1859. In 1928, the company manufactured garden seats and tents. Later they traded from a factory in Nacton Road. The fire also damaged part of the fencing of Portman Road Football ground as well as destroying the Labour Exchange. On the heights of Alexandra Park, where the Co-operative Fete was being held, thousands of people saw the pall of smoke and the flames leaping upwards. Many flocked to Portman Road to watch the firemen at work. The damage to Wrinch's property was estimated at more than £50,000 and nearly 200 workers were thrown out of employment by the fire. The employees at Wrinch & Sons are referred to as hands, a typical description from the industrial revolution. It is accepted that as the factory has burned down these men will automatically be out of work. (T. Knighton, 1996.)

Manifestations

Wrinch Fire

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