Art_Deco_Entrance_of_the_Minimax_Factory_(now_Re-developed)

Minimax Limited was a British manufacturer of

fire extinguisher A fire extinguisher is a handheld active fire protection device usually filled with a dry or wet chemical used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergencies. It is not intended for use on an out-of-control fire, such as one which ha ...

s founded in England in 1903. Their unique conical fire extinguisher was known as 'The Minimax'. The company was purchased by The Pyrene Company Limited in 1955.

History

Minimax Limited opened their first office in England in 1903 in Leadenhall Street,

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, with one salesman. In 1905, they won the 'highest award' for extinguishers in a

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exhibition. In 1907 Minimax were suppliers to

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...

for protection of his motor car, and were exporting to countries such as

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, and

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. In England, extinguishers had been supplied to

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

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, and

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and

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universities. A new factory was built at

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, in 1911, at the junction of Staines Road and Fagg's Road, 'Minimax Corner', which became a famous landmark.. Soon 1,000 extinguishers a month were being produced. The

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placed an order for extinguishers for his yacht ''Polar Star'', and the

Siberian Railway Krasnoyarsk Railway (russian: link=no, Красноярская железная дорога) is a subsidiary of the Russian Railways headquartered in Krasnoyarsk and serving the south of Siberia. Main information Its mainline is a link in the ...

was supplied with Minimax extinguishers. Two hundred extinguishers a day were produced during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, along with many thousands of aerial bombs. Between the wars, many new developments were introduced, including CO₂ extinguishers. Colliery protection with remote-controlled extinguishers became a speciality. Distillation plants for producing fresh water from salt water were made from 1939 to 1945, with one order for 600 from the Dutch Navy. Blandblusser minimax Ukkel

Minimax was purchased by The Pyrene Company Limited in 1955. Pyrene was taken over by

Chubb Security Chubb Fire & Security Ltd is a British firm specialised in fire protection and security systems, and is a subsidiary of APi Group Corporation (NYSE: APG). History The company was founded by Charles and Jeremiah Chubb, who patented their Chu ...

in 1967. The factory was closed and demolished in the 1980s, the site has now been refurbished by Nevill Long & Encon Ltd and is their West London Interiors Distribution Centre. The factory's Art Deco gateway was saved and now stands as

public art Public art is art in any Media (arts), media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and phy ...

overlooking 'Minimax Corner'. A nearby cul-de-sac is also called Minimax Close.

References

External links

* http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Minimax * http://www.chubb.co.uk {{Authority control Firefighting equipment Defunct manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom Manufacturing companies based in London Companies based in the London Borough of Hounslow History of the London Borough of Hounslow 1955 mergers and acquisitions

History

See also

References

External links