History of fire safety legislation in the United Kingdom

The history of fire safety legislation in the United Kingdom formally covers the period from the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801 but is founded in the history of such legislation in England and Wales, and Scotland before 1707, and that of the Kingdom of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800.

While much British legislation applied to the United Kingdom as a whole, Scotland and Northern Ireland often had their own versions of the legislation, with slight differences. United Kingdom legislation before 1922 remained in force in the Irish Free State after its independence in that year.

At the time of the creation of the United Kingdom in 1801, England, Scotland, and Great Britain had some legislation already in place dealing with the issues of fire safety.

As a result of the Great Fire of London, which started on 2 September 1666, it was soon clear that the wooden construction of London's buildings had added greatly to the spread of the fire. As a result, King Charles II issued a proclamation saying that all buildings were to be built out of stone and roads were to be widened.

The English government looked at legislation and introduced laws aimed specifically at fire prevention. The London Cooking Fire Bylaw 1705 specifically prohibited open fires in the attics of thatched buildings.

Following several fires in Edinburgh in 1698 an "Act Regulating the Manner of Building within the Town of Edinburgh" was passed and required that no buildings were to exceed five storeys.

The Fires Prevention (Metropolis) Act placed buildings into seven classes, with the required thicknesses of the external and party walls stipulated for each of the classes. It also included provisions stating a maximum floor area for stores and warehouses. The Act brought into being the first legislation that dealt with human life and escape, rather than just building safety. The Act stated that London boroughs were to appoint surveyors and "every parish should provide three or more proper ladders of one, two and three storeys high, for assisting persons in houses on fire to escape therefrom".

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