Ladder Collection

Polkanuggo Quarry, Stithians, Cornwall. September 1902
A view of the quarry face showing workers sitting on a granite block weighing an estimated 2, 738 tons. It was claimed to be the largest single block ever quarried

Quarry in Mabe or Constantine, Cornwall. 1903-1904
A view of the quarry face showing two workers with sledge hammers standing by a granite block that is being dressed. Part of the Freeman & Sons, Penryn Collection. Photographer: Unknown

Freeman & Sons dressing floor, probably Penryn, Cornwall. 1903-1904
Classical granite columns on the dressing floor of Freeman & Sons works. The man pictured is either Bernard Freeman or his brother. Part of the Freeman & Sons, Penryn Collection. Photographer: Unknown

Heavenly Ladder of Saint John Climacus, 12th century. Found in the Collection of Saint Catherines Monastery, Mount Sinai, Egypt

Firefighter during hook ladder practice

SAINT JOHN CLIMACUS (550-649). Abbot of Mount Sinai. St John Climacus at the top rung of his Ladder of Heavenly Ascent. A late 12th century icon from Sinai

East Pool Mine, Illogan, Cornwall. 1893
Working at 180 level. The photograph was taken by John Charles Burrow on the same occasion as a similar view published in Mongst Mines and Miners (1893)

Zazel / Human Cannonball
Zazel at the Royal Aquarium, London. " A beautiful Lady shot from a monstrous cannon." This is thought to be the earliest photograph of a human cannonball act

East Pool Mine Illogan, Cornwall. 1893
Clearing out ore from landing brace at surface. Photographer: John Charles Burrow

Sub - Officer Joseph Moore of the Vauxhall Fire Brigade, entered the premises above a blazing oil shop in Ram Payne Street

Firefighters in action, Eagle Street, London WC1
Firefighters in action at a fire in Eagle Street, London WC1, 0738 hrs, 9 June 1955. In the initial stages an attempt was made to take a line of hose into the first floor via a loading bay door

Derrick Floor of an oil rig, Iran
Derrick Floor of an oil drilling rig, Iran

Old pub on the River Thames, London, 1926-1927. An old tavern on the riverside at Limehouse. Illustration from Wonderful London, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, Volume I

LCC-LFB Tooley Street fire station and its crews
Built in 1879, and located at 165 Tooley Street, this station remained operational until 1928 when the new Dockhead fire station was opened and the engines and crews transferred there

GLC-LFB Dennis diesel Compact Pump
Introduced into London in the mid-1970s, this narrow wheel base pump was not a dual purpose fire engine. It could only carry an extension ladder and not the 50 foot wheeled escape

Meoto-Iwa (Wedded Rocks), two rocks considered to be male and female and joined in matrimony by shimenawa (sacred ropes), renewed in a special festival each year, Futami, Ise-Shima, Chubu

Polkanuggo Quarry, Stithians, Cornwall. 1903-1904
A general view of Polkanuggo Quarry with steam traction engine BETA No 483 and workers posing for the camera. The traction engine was made around June 1885 by John Fowler of Leeds

View from the harbour, Dartmouth, Devon. Date: circa 1950s

Orange grove in California
California orange grove, 1890s. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration

Inside the clock face of Big Ben, Palace of Westminster, London, c1905. Photo published in Parliament Past and Present by Arnold Wright and Philip Smith, (London, c1905)

Ramon Llull (1235-1316). Breviculum Codex. Miniature. Baden
Ramon Llull (1235-1316). Breviculum Codex. Miniature. Llull preaching. Parchment 92. Page 5r. Baden Memorial Library. Karlsruhe. Germany

Consequences, illustration by William Heath Robinson
Consequences -- How the thoughtlessness of a butterfly seriously affected a bishops corn, illustration by William Heath Robinson. Credit must appear as: Courtesy of Mrs J. C

Blitz in London -- St Bride Street, Farringdon Street, WW2
Blitz in London -- St Bride Street and Farringdon Street, with firefighters at work in a smoky atmosphere and pedestrians walking by

Self-Help in War Time by Heath Robinson Building a Bungalow
No III - Building a bungalow: Now, having made a good start with your music-room, place your piano in position. A rather back to front way of house construction from the crazy mind of William Heath

Night at Golgotha, 1869 (oil on canvas)
BAL134996 Night at Golgotha, 1869 (oil on canvas) by Vereshchagin, Vasili Vasilievich (1842-1904); 66.5x100 cm; Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia; Russian, out of copyright

Soused Mouse
27th February 1954: A mouse is tempted to climb a miniature ladder for a sip of sherry in a wine cellar at Jerez in Spain. Original Publication: Picture Post - 6734 - Sherry Comes From Spain - pub

Fire at 298 Old Brompton Road, London SW5, 25 February 1956. An escape ladder is extended to the second floor, with Sub Officer Kirby of A9 Fulham carrying a 19-month-old child

LCC-LFB Serious house fire in Notting Hill
Firefighters using the 50 foot wheeled escape ladder to gain access to the upper floors of this terraced house affected by a serious blaze in Notting Hill, West London

LCC-LFB Recruit fireman training at Brigade HQ, SE1
During the 1950s recruit firefighters were trained at the Brigade Headquarters, Lambeth. Here a fireman is undertaking a hook ladder drill on the stations nine-storey drill tower

The Ladder of Fortune. Industry and Morality bring solid rewards. Idle schemes and speculations yield poverty and ruin. Date: 1875

Fire Engine Scania

Major fire in Wandsworth Road, Clapham SW8
London firefighters and the London Salvage Corps (in the long coats) at the scene of a fire involving shops and dwellings in Wandsworth Road, Clapham, SW8, on 9 September 1959

LCC-LFB Dual purpose pump escape at Lambeth HQ
A Dennis F7 pump escape at Lambeth HQ, a classic postwar fire engine newly in service in London. It was powered by a 150 bhp 5.7 litre Rolls-Royce engine and served initially at Lambeth Fire Station

LCC-LFB Fire display at Brigade HQ Southwark
The London Fire Brigade encouraged, for very many years, a good public image by opening its doors to the public to special fire brigade displays

LCC-LFB Recruit firefighters training at Brigade HQ SE1
During the 1950s recruit firefighters were trained at the Brigade Headquarters in Lambeth. Here they are undertaking hook ladder drills on the stations nine-storey drill tower

NFS 60ft hand-operated turntable ladder, WW2
An Austin K4-Merryweather 60 foot hand-operated turntable ladder (TL). A total of 50 such appliances were built and mounted on Austin K4 chassis for the Home Office between 1942 and 1943

Girl on Library Ladder
The girl on the library ladder

Merryweathers Engine
Merryweather Three-in-one Motor Fire-Engine, with a Fire Suds apparatus producing a semi-fluid substance which floats on burning liquids and smothers the flames

The Crucifixion of Christ, 1565
BEN61121 The Crucifixion of Christ, 1565 by Tintoretto, Jacopo Robusti (1518-94); 536x1224 cm; Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice, Italy; Photo eRaffaello Bencini; Italian, out of copyright

House carpenter planing a board on a bench. His workshop contains carpentry tools such as saws, hammer, chisel, as well as finished products such as a door, rafters, ladder, etc

Fishing boats in the harbour, Fowey, Cornwall
Fishing boats in the picturesque harbour at Fowey, Cornwall. Date: circa 1980s

I Want! I Want!, from For the Sexes: The Gates of Paradise, 1793 (engraving)
XJF472263 I Want! I Want!, from For the Sexes: The Gates of Paradise, 1793 (engraving) by Blake, William (1757-1827); Private Collection; English, out of copyright

King Harry Passage, Feock, Cornwall. Before 1888
King Harry Ferry, before the introduction of the steam driven chain ferry in 1888. The ferry is on the Trelissick side of the river

Completed R100
HM Airship R100 nears completion at the Royal Naval Air Service Air Station near Howden in Yorkshire, November 1929. An extendable fire ladder is used to put the finishing touches to the linen fabric

Blitz in London -- turntable ladder in operation, WW2
Blitz in London -- turntable ladder in operation, with firefighter and hose

Blitz in London -- AFS firefighter on ladder, WW2
Blitz in London -- an AFS firefighter on a ladder with hose attached, in a training exercise at HQ

LCC-LFB enclosed pump at Lambeth fire station
Pictured at Brigade Headquarters, Lambeth SE1, an example of an 1930 enclosed London pump with carried breathing apparatus

LCC-LFB Shoreditch fire station, City of London
Built in 1895, station B27, Shoreditch fire station, was located at 140 Tabernacle Street, near Old Street, City of London. The stations spare escape ladder is parked on the station forecourt

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"Ascending to the Divine: The Ladder of Saint John Climacus" In the realm of spiritual enlightenment, few have reached the pinnacle as Saint John Climacus did. As an Abbot of Mount Sinai in the 6th century, he crafted a metaphorical ladder that would guide souls towards heavenly ascent. This late 12th-century icon depicts St. John at the top rung, symbolizing his profound wisdom and connection with God. Meanwhile, across time and space, other ladders tell their own stories. In 1926-1927 London, an old pub on the River Thames witnessed laughter and camaraderie as locals climbed its wooden steps to enjoy pints and conversations that echoed through history. On Polkanuggo Quarry in Cornwall during 1903-1904, sturdy ladders were essential tools for miners seeking precious minerals deep within Earth's embrace. Each step taken was a testament to human resilience and determination. But not all they are meant for earthly endeavors alone. Zazel, known as the Human Cannonball, defied gravity itself by soaring through the air propelled by explosive force – her ladder becoming a launching pad into awe-inspiring heights. Even within iconic structures like Big Ben's clock face or towering oil rigs in Iran's deserts, ladders serve as gateways to hidden worlds where brave individuals venture daily. Firefighters battling infernos on Eagle Street or responding swiftly to serious house fires in Notting Hill rely on these trusty companions to ascend towards danger with unwavering courage. And then there are those unique instances where nature intertwines with human craftsmanship – Meoto-Iwa (Wedded Rocks) standing tall amidst crashing waves off Japan's coast beckon visitors who dare climb their sacred path towards unity and harmony. From ancient monastic teachings to bustling city streets or remote corners of our planet – each ladder holds significance beyond its physical form. They represent our innate desire for growth, progress, and connection.