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 Carbon tetrachloride pump fire extinguisher The Pyrene Company Limited from their beginning in 1914, until 1971 when they became Chubb Fire Security Limited, were among the world's leaders in the manufacture of fire fighting equipment. The name ...

in 1955.

History

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

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

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

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

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, and

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

. 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 c ...

Winchester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,Historic England. "Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity (1095509)". ''National Heritage List for England''. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun, commonly known as Winches ...

, and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

universities. A new factory was built at

Feltham Feltham () is a town in West London, England, from Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it became part of the London Borough of Hounslow in 1965. The parliamentary constituency of Feltham and Heston has been held by Labour Party ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

, 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

Czar of Russia This is a list of all reigning monarchs in the history of Russia. It includes the princes of medieval Rus′ state (both centralised, known as Kievan Rus′ and feudal, when the political center moved northeast to Vladimir and finally to Mo ...

placed an order for extinguishers for his yacht ''Polar Star'', and the Siberian Railway 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 List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, 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

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 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 physically acce ...

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