We were sorry to hear about the death of John Hickman on 14th March, 2011. John has been a long time member of the Civic Society and we will especially remember him with gratitude for the work he did in restoring the 1840’s horse drawn Merryweather fire engine that had been used in Chippenham.
In 1997 the Swindon Fire Service contacted the Civic Society to say they had the fire engine and offered it to us. John and Geoff Barrett collected it and put it in a workshop in John’s garden. John took it on as his own personal project, funding a lot of the work himself. He visited the Science museum in Wroughton for research and found a wheelwright in Gloucestershire who made the new wheels. He finally bought 2 genuine antique lamps to complete the job. It was very much a labour of love, John once said ‘ it’s a good job they don’t charge me for the enjoyment I am getting out of it”!
John was a modest man and a generous one. He wouldn’t talk to camera on the film that was made about the project, and avoided any publicity. His work was meticulous, he spent a long time researching the colours the engine was originally, concluding it was prussian blue, a colour he had difficulty in obtaining.
John has left the town a lasting legacy. We hope one day the engine will be displayed in the Yelde Hall in Chippenham for us all to enjoy.
