Elm Old Fire Engine House given Grade II Listed protected status after Wisbech Society campaign

A disused fire engine house has acquired Grade II Listed status after a successful campaign from a heritage society.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Sajid Javid agreed that the Old Fire Engine House in Elm is a Building of Special Architectural or Historic Interest and approved Wisbech Society’s application, with the support of English Heritage, to have the building formally protected.

Wisbech Society’s campaign was prompted after speaking to Elm residents who were concerned for the building’s future in light of planning consent being given to convert the adjacent church hall buildings into homes.

The Fire Engine House was built in 1847 and is largely unaltered. The government requisitioned it for the Elm Home Guard during the Second World War, when it was used as a war office storage facility.

Wisbech Society chairman Ray Johnson said: “It’s not just stately homes or the fine Georgian properties in Wisbech that are worthy of protection.

“Even the simplest buildings have a story to impart and to have lost this building would be to have lost an important part of Elm’s and Fenland’s heritage.

“We are pleased that the Secretary of State agreed with our application to ensure the future of Elm Fire Engine House.”