We are kicking off this #FireTravels blog series with a truth or tale…
Buckingham Palace Began Offering Tours to Assist in Covering the Cost of the Windsor Castle Fire
TRUTH
In a recent trip to London, I had the chance to tour Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle! Little did I know that these royal residences had never been open to the public until the Windsor Castle Fire occurred in November 1992.
This fire began in the Queen’s private chapel around 11 a.m. when a spotlight was accidentally pressed up against a curtain. The fire alarm went off, and the 20-person castle fire brigade began its response. Initially, the fire location shown by a light on a grid-map of the castle indicated that Brunswick Tower was the origin; however, lights began flashing, indicating the fire had spread to neighboring rooms.
The fire brigade arrived on scene, arriving at 11:41 a.m., and by 11:56 a.m., 17 pumping appliances were called. By 3:30 p.m., the roof of the Brunswick tower collapsed, and firefighters were unaccounted for and required to withdraw from fighting the fire. St. George’s Hall collapsed at 7 p.m. After battling the fire for nine hours, the fire was under control by 8 p.m., but continued to burn for a few more hours. Roughly 1.5 million gallons of water from the main water supply, reservoir, fire hydrant, swimming pool, pond, and the River Thames were used to fight this fire.
In the aftermath of the fire, investigators identified that a false ceiling and a void for coal trucks beneath the floor created a void for the fire to spread. Nearly 100 rooms were impacted, and the historic fabric of these spaces was irretrievably damaged. It was estimated that it would cost £36.5 million (£96.5 million in 2025) to restore the castle and roughly a decade to dry it out.
There was much debate over who would cover this cost. Prime Minister at the time, John Major, proposed that Parliament cover the cost, but many believed the Royal Family should foot the bill. In the end, both options were used. The public was permitted to visit parts of Buckingham Palace for £8 per person, and the plan was that it would cover 70% of the repairs. The Queen also contributed £2 million of her own money and committed to paying income tax from 1993 onwards. Also, an independent trust was established for private donations as well.
The impact of the fire can still be viewed today while touring Windsor Castle. While the restoration efforts retained the character of the original structure, modern innovations were used to update fire protection and life safety to today’s standards, including the installation of fire detection and suppression systems throughout the premises.
Preserving historical buildings and cultural heritage is important because it gives us a connection to the past, and learning from our cultural heritage to learn us understand values as well as traditions. NFPA 909, Code for the Protection of Cultural Resource Properties – Museums, Libraries, and Places of Worship, provides a comprehensive program, consistent with the mission of the organization, that protects cultural resource properties and their contents and collections from conditions or physical situations having the potential to cause damage or loss. The framework of this code outlines the minimum requirements for fire prevention, active and passive fire protection systems, emergency operations, fire safety management, and security. This document is updated every four years and is currently open for public input until January 2026.
