Fire

On 4 June 1731, fire tore through Blandford Forum in Dorset destroying 90% of the medieval market town. The only buildings that remained standing the following day were the few that had been rebuilt using brick and tile following an earlier fire in 1713.

Sadly, the Parish records did not survive the blaze so I cannot be sure that any of my Dorset ancestors were living in Blandford at the time, but those residing in the surrounding villages would certainly have seen the smoke and flames, and the catastrophic loss of the town that was the hub of their day to day activities must have dominated local news for many years and had a major impact on their lives.

A vivid account of the fire was published in 1735 by Malachi Blake, a congregational minister who witnessed “the Day of our great Calamity”. He recounts that at two o’clock in the afternoon, sparks from the chimney of a soap boiler’s house in the centre of the town ignited the thatched roof and although three fire engines were quickly brought out, within half an hour they had been destroyed and “the fire spread itself with that speed and fury, that every thing was soon devoured before it”. 

By seven o’clock, thanks to a strong wind, “scarce an house remained” and the speed of the flames meant that most families had to flee without their possessions – “I shall never forget the horror and affrightment that appeared in every countenance, render’d yet more frightful by the labour and toil of the day. Many were scarce known even to their nearest neighbours, so disfigured were they with sorrow, smoke and soot !”. 

The map below, which was published soon after the fire, shows the extent of the damage – all of the buildings coloured black were destroyed.

Map of Blandford Forum published by P Overton and S Birt c 1731

The church, where many inhabitants had stored what few possessions they could carry, held out against the flames for a long time, but around midnight fire broke out in the roof and, with no engines surviving to extinguish it, the lead roof melted and the heat generated as the building was destroyed was so intense that it melted the bells. 

In all, 400 families lost their homes that day but, miraculously, almost all of the residents survived with the number of dead put at around 13, most of them elderly people who were unable to outrun the flames.

Neighbouring parishes immediately rallied round, sending bread, beer and flesh before nightfall from as far away as Shaftesbury, Poole and Wareham. Temporary barracks with thatched roofs were quickly built to house the homeless, who were also given assistance to replace what they had lost.

Charitable collections were organised through parish churches and there were generous donations from distant cities including London, Manchester and Birmingham. Although major fires were not uncommon, Blandford benefited from the influence of several wealthy landowners with estates in the vicinity who were able to exploit their connections – no doubt the news that King George II, his Queen and the Prince of Wales had given £1,300 encouraged many others to follow suit. 

In 1732, an act of Parliament formalised the rebuilding of the town, this time using brick and tile, which was overseen by local gentlemen who were appointed to act as commissioners. Much of the rebuilding work was carried out by brothers John and William B’stard, who were Blandford architects, surveyors and builders that had themselves lost their home and businesses in the fire. 

Influenced by Sir Christopher Wren and the baroque style that was already going out of fashion, they kept the original street layout but designed some surprisingly grand buildings for a town of such modest size. By 1740, work was complete on a regenerated town which renowned architect-historian Nikolaus Pevsner described as “one of the most satisfying Georgian ensembles anywhere in England”. It was to become home to the Maitland family for more than 100 years.