When East Hagbourne village buildings went up in flames

The nearby village of East Hagbourne was virtually destroyed as fire swept through it in 1659.

Fire engines and equipment were non-existent in the 17th century and communities had to rely on buckets of water from local streams, ponds and wells.

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Hooks with long handles, like giant rakes, were used to tear off thatch from homes to prevent fire spreading from house to house.

These basic methods of firefighting were all that East Hagbourne villagers had to cope with one of the worst village fires in the country’s history.

Historian S Allen Warner writes: “A fire broke out in one of the houses in the east end of the village, near the present war memorial.

“Fanned by wind, the flames swept rapidly westwards among the thatched roofs of the little timbered houses, causing the destruction of nearly the whole village.

“Fire hooks were brought out of the church and hooks from other villages were borrowed but, despite all efforts, the fire leapt from house to house until the church itself was threatened.

“The church, being built of stone, resisted the flames and was spared and at last, the fire burned itself out.”

Hagbourne Church

An appeal to help the village was made in every church in the country and with the help of numerous congregations, most of the houses were rebuilt.

Except for the church and a few houses and farm buildings, nothing of the present East Hagbourne dates further back than the time of the great fire.

As we recalled last week, Didcot railway station was badly damaged in 1886 when an employee dropped the contents of an oil lamp on to a fire heating one of the waiting rooms.

Station staff tried to contain the fire but soon realised they were facing an impossible task as the flames spread rapidly.

Didcot was then a village with no firemen or firefighting equipment, so crews from Oxford, Harwell, Wallingford and Abingdon had to be alerted by telegram.

The Harwell fire equipment arrived on a horse-drawn wagon.

One of the team had a wooden leg which fell off during the hazardous journey over uneven roads.

Despite his handicap, he fought the fire on one leg.

Harwell firemen, who took charge of the operation, were always known for their wit and when their ancient fire engine appeared at Didcot Carnival in 1934, with some of the original crew alongside, it bore the legend: ‘Fires attended anywhere, distance no object, send a postcard’.

Details of both fires were uncovered by historian and retired fire officer John Lowe, of Kidlington.

East Hagbourne is about a mile south of Didcot and was part of Berkshire until local government reorganisation in 1974, when it became part of Oxfordshire.