Identity of Fire Station

[Geoff-E]

Here is a possible explanation of the white shoes and trousers. The photograph show Bootham School Fire Brigade in action c1911 and dress is identical.

A good find.

As I said previously, there is little doubt that the windows in the background are the same as those shown at the Rowntree's factory (in this photo with a later fire engine)
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-rowntree-works-fire-brigade-with-their-engine-rowntree-factory-york-60078146.html

[Trishanne]

I am not convinced by this photo, I am not disputing whether it is Rowntrees or not, but whether it is a genuine Fire Brigade photo. These men all look young all about the same age, apart from the driver, the others don't look old enough to drive!!
If you look at photos of fire brigade members from works brigades and others, there is always a mix of ages and experience, not all the same age as on this photo.  There are no photos on line, that I can see, of firemen in white trousers and white shoes.  The trousers that are in the picture that Birkbeck found look like waterproof over trousers not tight fitting ones like in this photo. My husband who was a fireman had yellow ones, which would show up white on a photo.
Perhaps this is a photo of an old fire engine about to enter a parade or something.  To me, these men (students) don't look like firemen.
Edit: I was writing this as Clearly was posting the school photo.

[clearly]

Trishanne, please refer to post at 12.51 re Bootham School

Chester

[mazi]

It is more than likely that the works fire brigade were never called into action, in fact without a pump tender they would have little to fight the fire with.   

My thoughts are that this beautiful expensive equipment has been newly delivered and the photo has been posed with the factory volunteers, most probably apprentices as you would not want skilled workers missing from their work for practice sessions.

Mike

[Trishanne]

Chester if you read my last comment -
 Edit: I was writing this as Clearly was posting the school photo.
I was writing my post and hadn't seen your photo. When I posted my comments at 13.06 I saw your  school photo and added my edit to acknowledge your photo.

[arthurk]

Well done, everyone. Another photo from Rowntrees, and the building behind looks very much like the right-hand side of ours:
http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-merryweather-fire-engine-rowntrees-cocoa-works-york-england-1910s-83100203.html

Apart from the helmets, no-one here is dressed remotely like a fireman! So were these some kind of publicity shots? Or did they take the fire engine out on parades, with the amount of firemen's uniform varying year by year?

Arthur

[jess5athome]

Nice find Arthur  the brickwork around the windows certainly looks like a match.

Frank.

[arthurk]

Nice find Arthur  the brickwork around the windows certainly looks like a match.

By chance I discovered that once on the Alamy photos site you get different results with Rowntree and Rowntrees, which is presumably why it wasn't found before.