Description:The unveiling of Newcastle-under-Lyme's new fire engine and wheeled extendable ladder on the High Street. The engine was manufactured by Messrs Shand Mason & Co., hydraulic engineers of London.
The Castle Hotel can be seen behind the ladders of the fire appliance. The Hotel was opened in around 1820 and was a popular coaching stop for traffic to and from Liverpool and Manchester, before the arrival of the railways. The building still existed in 2002 having been, amongst other things, Tescos and a shoe shop. John Addison Whittingham ran the Castle Hotel from 1868 to 1889 and his name can be seen above the passageway.