The South Eastern Fire Area Administration Scheme Order, 1948

                                                                Equipment                                             Wholetime
                                                                1 Self propelled Pump                          2 Company Officers
                                                                                                                                1 Section Leader
                                                                                                                                2 Leading Firemen
                                                                                                                                16 Firemen and Watchroom Attendants

In 1980 the Establishment was 1 Sub Officer, 2 Leading Firemen and 8 Firemen per watch (4 watches).

Establishment 2000

In the Integrated Risk Management Plan 2005/2010 Marionville Fire Station will close and the Pump will be relocated to Newcraighall and the Incident Support Unit to the new station in the Wallyford area. (May 2006)

Marionville had a call sign of 52 in Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, this was changed to K03, the new National Call Sign on 3/5/2017.

South Eastern Fire Area Joint Committee

<PHOTO> (of Station)

MARIONVILLE FIRE STATION

Opening by the Rt. Hon. Herbert A. Brechin C.B.E., D.Litt.

Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh

On

Tuesday, 11^th June, 1968.

HISTORY OF LONDON ROAD FIRE STATION

The first record of a fire station in the London Road district was contained in a Town Council Minute dated 3rd January, 1884, when a contract was awarded to a Mr. Wm. Elliot of Royston Terrace to build a station at Abbeyhill for the sum of £73. This station was situated at Comely Green Place and was designated as No. 9 Station of the Edinburgh Fire Brigade. Two barrows with hose and ancillary equipment were provided and with the recruitment of volunteer Firemen the station became operational.
With the expansion of the City it was found necessary to build new a station which was to be known as the Eastern District Fire Station. A search was made for a suitable site and when tenement property with three shops underneath became available it was agreed to purchase No.1 West Norton Place and Nos. 26—28 Norton Place for the sum of £4,500.
On the 7th June 1900, the Dean of Guild issued a Warrant to Edinburgh Corporation granting permission to carry out the following work at 26—28 Norton Place.
“To remove all walls on the street floor, insert iron standards and columns to carry the superstructure. Slap the front wall to form doorways and insert iron lintels and beams, slap openings in back walls and form openings with iron lintels. Construct a boiler house with enclosing walls and erect stables and workshops on part of the back greens, the abutting walls to be underpinned. Also to remove partitions on street floor at 1, West Norton Place and insert iron beams to form openings for doorways."
The estimates agreed by the Magistrates and Council included the following items —

                                                                                                                                                                £              s.             d.
Execution of mason and brickwork, carpenter
and joiner, steel and iron, plumber, plaster
and cement, limned asphalt and. glazier works                                                                               1,609.      —.           —
Renewal of sanitary fittings                                                                                                                    59.      2.            —
Installing electricity £68.15.- plus 21/-d
each for extra lamps, giving a total of                                                                                                     80.     —.           —
Painting                                                                                                                                                       72.     12.           3.3/4
Heating apparatus                                                                                                                                     44.     15.           —
Tiling Engine Room                                                                                                                                   70.     —.           —
Furnishings                                                                                                                                                 25.     10.           —

Giving a total of £6,460.19.3 3/4 for the complete station and firemen’s houses.

It was also decided to purchase a new fire engine for this station and a contract was drawn up with Shand Mason, Ltd. of London to supply an Improved Patent Double Cylinder Vertical Variable Expansion Steam Engine for £448. This appliance weighed 45 cwts. and. was capable of pumping 350 gallons per minute and projecting a 1 1/8" jet to 160 feet. A hose box capable of containing 2,000 feet of hose and a 5” hydrant standpipe was fitted. The boiler was capable of raising steam from cold in 7 minutes and giving a pressure of 100 lbs. per sq. in.
There is no mention of an official opening but it is recorded that the High Street and London Road (Comely Green) stations were closed on the 15th May 1901 and that the new station now had :

1 Officer
7 Firemen
1 Steam Fire Engine
2 Horses
1 Hose Tender
1 Hose Cart

We must assume therefore that the station became operational around this time.

From the start, this was always a busy station due to its position in the city. In fact, it has always been a sore point with the men at London Road that although they attended all fires with adjacent stations they were only credited with the fires on their station ground.
With the advent of the motor car and an increase in traffic it was found that the position of the station led to difficulties when turning out. In fact, a new station was envisaged as long ago as 1937 when Firemaster P. Methven, M.I.Fire E., stated in his Annual Report to the Magistrates and Council of the City of Edinburgh :
“Again I must draw your attention to the inadequate facilities with regard to both housing conditions and recreation in London Road Fire Station, as well as the fact that the station itself is out of date. Also, the necessary repairs to the electric equipment, such as lighting and the telephone switchboards, have been postponed for a considerable number of years with the view to building a new fire station. The equipment is now in such a state that repairs or renewals must be done immediately if this station is to remain an effective unit of the Fire Brigade.
This Station is situated at the junction of two busy thoroughfares where automatic lights are in operation. This is also a very awkward turnout, and it is necessary for a fireman to run out in front of the Station waving a red flag to stop traffic to allow the machine to turn out. There is no recreation room at this Station, and. when one considers that firemen are employed on the continuous shift system, such conditions are not conducive to the physical standard so vital to the members of the Fire Brigade.
I doubt very much whether this station could be used in an emergency such as an air raid because there is not the necessary accommodation to provide the means of decontamination for the personnel.
I recommend that suitable sites should be acquired further from the centre of the City on which to build modern Stations so necessary to house modern fire appliances.”
The rewiring and renewal of the switchboard was carried out but with the outbreak of war plans for a new station were shelved and it is only now that a new station has been built to replace London Road.
This station which is built at the junction of Marionville Avenue and Marionville Drive follows the Fire Authority’s decision that new stations should be built further from the city centre. It also overcomes the difficulties of London Road as is now an unobstructed turn out for appliances. Standing at the junction of three roads facing a roundabout, it gives access to six roads in all, thus ensuring that the minimum of time is wasted in answering a call in any direction.

New Marionville Fire Station and 3 Houses
Brief Description

The site for the Fire Station and. Houses lies within what is the drainage outfall from Arthur’s Seat, Calton Hill and the old Nor Loch — now Princes Street Gardens, and was until recently a marsh, the adjacent Restalrig Church, Church Yard and immediate environs being built on a rocky promontory rising from bedrock some 30 feet below. The disposition of this outcrop can still be seen, and evidence of an old retaining wall to the Church Yard was uncovered at the time of the initial excavations.
Some time after the draining of the Nor Loch, at the end of the 18th century, work was started on the draining and reclaiming of the area, and evidence of the upfilling etc. was  found in the trial borings taken on the site prior to the designing of the foundations.
In the adjacent Church Yard lies the ancient well and shrine of St. Triduana, the Patron Saint of eye diseases, who had her own eyes impaled on thorns. Pilgrimages to the Shrine to bathe diseased eyes in the water of the well have been common over the centuries as the waters were believed to have curative properties. The well is now covered by a 19th century structure with a pitched roof and is visible  from the Station Yard.
The Fire Station and Houses are therefore built over what was originally part of the marsh, and the site as such would normally prove unsuitable for building. However, some 57 concrete piles were driven into the ground to a depth of approximately 35 feet, and linked together with a series of large reinforced concrete ground beams forming a stable foundation grid on which was built the Fire Station, Houses and 70 feet high Training Tower.
In order to obtain the maximum use of the site, the building was designed in 2 storey form and was linked to the 3 houses forming a unified elevation to the street. This allowed for a reasonably sized Training Area between the Houses, the Fire Station and the boundary wall of the Restalrig Church Yard. The choice of materials in the design of the Station was governed to an extent by a desire to keep the maintenance costs as low as possible and, as a result, materials are of fairly international origin. The honey coloured mosaic, which should prove self cleansing, comes from Italy, the chips on the white rendering from Norway; and the black facing bricks from Derbyshire. The aluminium window frames are those of a Scottish Company and require no maintenance other than an occasional wipe when cleaning the glass.
Internally, the planning has concentrated the essential elements of the building around the Muster Bay to allow for the quickest possible turn out when an alarm call is received. 2 stainless steel poles from the upper floor to a corner of the Muster Bay prove the traditional and still the best means of egress from the first floor. The finishes internally are simple and robust as firemen in a hurry are no respectors of fragile corners etc. The same facing bricks are used in the main circulation areas as externally.
The toilet, shower, locker and drying rooms are arranged in logical progression to permit a straightforward walk through for the men on their return from a fire when they would, after servicing and cleaning the appliance, enter the scrub area and then progress through the drying room to the toilets and shower area and thence to the locker room and back into the body of the Station.
The Fire Station and Houses are heated by a low pressure hot water radiator system, fired from a central boiler house containing an oil fired boiler and fuel storage tank. The Appliance Bay however is heated from the same system by 2 convector units built into the side of the Appliance Bay and blowing warm air across the 30 feet width.
The stone mounted on granite setts at the entrance to the station was recovered from the site of the fire station being built at Livingston New Town. This symbolises the link between the City and the Counties served by the Brigade and with the replacement of an old station and the building of a new station shows that the Fire Brigade is continually advancing to give the best service possible to industry and to the general public.

Simon Snorkel Hydraulic Platform

As, with the opening of the London Road Fire Station, it was decided to provide Marionville with a new appliance, this will be in addition to the Pump Ladder which will be stationed there, and will be a Simon Snorkel Hydraulic Platform.
This is a new breakthrough in fire fighting and rescue techniques. It consists of a pair of articulated booms built on to a turntable which is mounted on a Bedford 8 Ton chassis. A cage at the end of the upper boom carries a monitor which is supplied through a 3½ inch bore water pipe affixed to the booms. The cage when used for rescue purposes can accommodate six adults. Each boom can be raised and lowered independently and the turntable can be rotated continuously in either direction. A complete range of vertical, horizontal and rotary movements is possible, with a maximum working height of 65 feet.
All movements are governed by simple hand controls in the cage; duplicate controls are provided on the turntable for operation from ground level, when required. Operation is by a power take off from a Bedford 466 cub.in. diesel engine.
The Hydraulic Platform is supplied by Simon Engineering, Dudley, with the coach building and electrical work being carried out for Balbardie Limited, Thornliebank, Glasgow, by Fulton and Wylie Bros., Portland Road, Irvine.

**********

ARCHITECTS:                                     Messrs Bamber, Hall and Partners

SURVEYOR:                                          David A. Adamson

MAIN CONTRACTOR       :               Robert Chisholm & Co. Ltd.

SUB—CONTRACTORS:   
                Electrical                                John Croal (Electrical Contractors) Ltd.
                Plumber                                  D. Blake & Company
                Plasterers                               Peter Kelly & Sons, Ltd.
                Mosaic & Tiling                   Thomas Graham & Sons, Ltd.
                Decorator                              Andrew Hutchison, Ltd.
                Blacksmith                             R. Thompson & Co. Ltd.
                Excavations                           Tractor Shovels, Ltd.
                Tarmac                                   J. B. Cramond, Ltd.
                Glazier                                    James Thow, Ltd.
                Lino Tiles                              The Limmer & Trinidad Lake Asphalte Co. Ltd.
                Roughcast                              George Liddell, Ltd.
                Roofing Felt                          The Val de Travers Asphalte, Ltd.
                Bison Floors                         Concrete (Scotland), Ltd.
                Siporex Roofs                       Costain Concrete Co., Ltd.
                Heating                                  Andrews Weatherfoil, Ltd.
                Piling & Reinforcements     G.K.N. Reinforcements, Ltd.
                Curtains                                 Remus Furnishers.
                Blinds                                     Calder of Leith.
                Carpets                                  Marley, Ltd.

Fire Station Opened by Lord Provost 

Lord Provost Sir Herbert Brechin saw a demonstration of a completely new fire fighting and rescue equipment when he officially opened Marionville Fire Station in Edinburgh this afternoon.
The equipment is the Simon Snorkel hydraulic platform, which consists of a pair of articulated booms built onto a turntable. There is a cage at the end of the upper boom which is fitted with a hose for fire fighting and which can also be used for rescue purposes. The cage can hold six adults.
Each boom can be raised or lowered independently, and has a complete range of vertical, horizontal and rotary movements, with a maximum working height of 65 feet.
Other items on the programme at the official opening were a general fire display and a demonstration by two firemen using a hook ladder
Mr Richard Wilson, chairman of the South Eastern Fire Area Joint Committee, welcomed guests, who included members of the Committee from Edinburgh, the Lothians, and the Borders,
(Evening News, Tuesday, June 11, 1968. Page 5.)

New Edinburgh station is on reclaimed marshland 

Marshland was reclaimed for a new fire station to replace Edinburgh’s London Road station. It has been built at the junction of Marionville Avenue and Marionville Drive and was officially opened in June by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Sir Herbert A. Brechin.
Because of the marsh some 57 concrete piles were driven into the ground to a depth of approximately 35ft, and linked together with a series of large reinforced concrete ground beams forming a stable foundation grid on which was built the fire station, houses and 70ft training tower.

Maximum use

In order to obtain the maximum use of the site, the building was designed in two storey form and was linked to the three houses forming a unified elevation to the street. This allowed for a reasonably sized training area between the houses, the fire station and the boundary wall of a church yard.
Choice of materials in the design was governed to an extent by the need to keep maintenance costs as low as possible. The honey-coloured mosaic which should prove self-cleaning – comes from Italy, the chips on the white rendering from Norway, and the black facing bricks from Derbyshire. The aluminium window frames are those of a Scottish company and require no maintenance other than the occasional wipe when cleaning the glass.

Progression

Toilet, shower, locker and drying rooms are arranged in a logical progression to permit a straight forward walk through for the men on their return from a fire.
The fire station and houses are heated by a low pressure hot water radiator system, fired from a central boiler house containing an oil fired boiler and fuel storage tank. The appliance bay is heated from the same system by two convector units built into the side of the appliance bay and blowing warm air across the 30ft width.
The stone mounted on the granite setts at the entrance to the station was recovered from the site of the fire station being built at Livingston New Town. This symbolises the link between the City and the counties served by the South Eastern Fire Brigade.
(FIRE Magazine 1968 Page 119)

If you know of any mistakes in this or have any additional information please let me know.