Fire service: Magical dance treat lit up night at fire station

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Chris Wheeldon, of Mackworth, grew up on Nottingham Road in the 1950s and has fond memories of the Nottingham Road fire station, as he recalled in this article (below) that originally appeared in the Derby Evening Telegraph, prompted by news that it was to be demolished.

I MUST confess to having mixed feelings when I read about the planned closure and redevelopment of Nottingham Road Fire Station in the Telegraph recently.

The building was a well-known Chaddesden landmark along with the Majestic cinema on Wiltshire Road and the Essoldo cinema on Nottingham Road. You only had to mention any of these to let people know where you lived or to give directions.

The station has been there throughout my life and I have fond memories of the place, as I grew up on Nottingham Road in the 1950s.

Can anyone remember when it was thrown open for a dance night some time in 1959 or 1960?

The engines were parked outside on the yard and a dance party was held inside. I can’t remember if there was a band or just records but I seem to recall it was a shilling (5p) to go in and the money went to charity.

Anyway, there was music, tea and cakes. Magic.

In the 50s and 60s, the siren used to sound to call in the retained firefighters to the station. There was a decorator who lived in Francis Street who was a retained fireman. I think his name was Partington.

He used to drive his Morris estate car up Nottingham Road very quickly when the siren sounded. Sometimes, the firemen didn’t have to go very far to find work. There were many bad accidents on Nottingham Road.

Many happened right outside the station where the road bends at the junction of Chaddesden Park Road.

My father, the late Jack Wheeldon, was in the Auxiliary Fire Service in the war years. I think he was based at Jury Street. He attended many fires during the war, including the one at the Sinfin Ordnance Depot. We still have his original fireman’s axe from 60 years ago.

I remember back in 1969, I worked at Kingsway Fire Station when it was built. I was a painter and decorator then, working for an old Derby firm called R Skevington, and we painted the new station.

In 1977, the firemen’s strike saw the men outside Nottingham Road Fire Station on the picket line. At that time, I was a bus driver on Derby City Transport.

All the bus drivers hooted in support of the strikers. It was a tough time for those men and it went on for nine weeks. Emergency cover was provided by the Army, using the old Bedford “Green Goddesses”.

Anyway, it’s the end of an era now. Things have to move on and improve. The new station will be a fantastic building with the latest technology, designed and equipped to meet the demands of this modern age.

I wish all the lads the best of luck for the future. They will be based in Beaufort Street while the work is carried out and, no doubt, they will be pleased to move back to Nottingham Road into a new building.

I hope everyone will remember the old station and the many brave men who worked there. In the meantime, I’m busy taking photos of it!

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