*British, 1845 Fire mark for Royal Insurance Company Limited Liverpool*
Approximate measurements: 31cm tall x 25.5cm wide
Copper pressed fire mark for Royal Insurance Company. The Royal Insurance Company was established in Liverpool in 1845 before expanding its operations substantially by acquiring the Liverpool & London Globe Insurance, another major provincial insurance business, in 1919.
Following the devastation caused by the Great Fire of London in 1666, there arose a pressing need for a more systematic approach to fire prevention and management, spurring the inception of the world’s inaugural property insurance policies.
Recognizing the economic advantage of fire prevention over post-disaster reconstruction, insurance firms promptly established dedicated in-house fire brigades. These brigades were tasked with safeguarding the properties covered by insurance policies, often focusing exclusively on those properties.
In order to denote insured buildings, insurance companies devised their own distinctive fire insurance plaques, which were fixed to the facades of buildings.
