Formed in 1899, the Chingford Fire Brigade had its first home on the corner of Bull Lane (now Kings Road) at the junction of Pretoria Road and paid for by the Chingford Urban District Council.

The building was erected at the same time as the Bull & Crown by agreement of Taylor Walker.

The firemen were volunteers and most of them were local shopkeepers or employed nearby and could easily be summoned. They were paid five shillings a year.

The early equipment they had was basic, including 1500 feet of canvas hose, six canvas buckets, four lengths of ladder and a horse-drawn hose cart.

As soon as the alarm was given that there was a fire, boys were sent out to summons the force and round up the horses. The horse cart was made ready and as soon as the horses were harnessed, the brigade set off as fast as possible to the scene.

In 1901 the General Post Office managed to install alarms into the homes of every fireman and it could be operated by the police. The Chingford Fire Brigade was well known for its dedication and loyal service with many of the same families being involved over several generations.

By 1924, the brigade were looking for a motorised vehicle. To keep costs down, they purchased a motor chassis and the body re-constituted by the firemen themselves from the horse-drawn appliance which was now redundant.

In 1929, a new fire station was built next to the Town Hall on the Ridgeway and a permanent fire brigade was instituted. The present station in the Ridgeway dates from 1957.