A plaque identified an insured buildingSourced
Fire marks do not prove the familiar abandonment myth
British fire insurance plaques identified buildings for company fire brigades. Yet the claim that every unmarked building was simply left to burn is too sweeping: threats to neighbouring properties and financial arrangements also encouraged firefighting beyond a company’s own policyholders.
The plaque belongs to a more complicated system than the myth suggests.
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Fire insurance mark · Wikimedia contributors
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Reviewed: 2026-10-05