Kent Firefighting Museum

About the museum

The first Kent Fire Brigade Museum was created in 1947 as the in-house museum of the county fire brigade and was based in Maidstone. In 2014 Kent Fire and Rescue Service gave the collection to a newly founded charity, the Kent Firefighting Museum. Woodlands Garden Centre offered a home for the collection, and the museum opened there in 2014. The patron is Baroness Blackstone, whose father was a distinguished chief fire officer and the author of a standard history of the British fire service.

The museum is run by volunteer guides, some of them former firefighters, and aims to teach the public about fire, fire safety and the history of firefighting in Kent. It is a registered charity and relies on donations.

The collection is arranged in time periods: early firefighting, the Victorian era, the twentieth century up to the Second World War, the war years and the National Fire Service, and the period from 1945 to the present day. Historic appliances, uniforms, equipment, archives and photographs are on show, and a separate section describes the history of local brigades across Kent. An education centre with audio-visual equipment is used for group visits and talks.

Highlights

• Historic fire engines and appliances from Kent
• Collection arranged from early firefighting to the present day
• Play area with a real fire engine that children can climb on
• Free entry; donations welcome
• Archive and photographs of Kent fire brigades

Permanent exhibitions

• Collection from early firefighting to the present day – Appliances, uniforms, equipment and photographs arranged in five periods, from early firefighting through the Victorian era and the wars to modern times.
• History of local brigades – A section on the history of the firefighting brigades of Kent, told period by period.

Founded

2014

Operated by

Kent Firefighting Museum (registered charity 1157631)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

There is no charge for admission. Donations are welcome and are the museum's only source of funding.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The whole garden centre site is described as fully accessible, and the museum buildings have wheelchair ramps. Accessible toilets are in the garden centre and in the Twig and Spoon restaurant.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area

The play and picnic area in front of the museum has a real fire engine that children can sit in and play on, a fire-engine-themed climbing frame and picnic tables in the shade, on a bark surface.

Getting there & parking

From the A20, follow the signs for Woodlands Garden Centre in Ash Lane.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant

The Twig and Spoon restaurant in the garden centre is open daily from 09:00 to 17:30; booking is advised. There is a picnic area in front of the museum. No visitor wifi is mentioned.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit