What did Ambrose Godfrey green plaque do at 22-23 Southampton Street?

The Story

# Standing at 22-23 Southampton Street At this very corner in Covent Garden, Ambrose Godfrey transformed a simple house and laboratory into the birthplace of fire safety as we know it—the location where, between 1706 and 1741, the visionary chemist and inventor developed and refined the world's first practical fire extinguisher. Working in cramped quarters above his pharmacy, Godfrey conducted countless experiments with chemical compounds, testing his revolutionary contraption that used explosives to scatter a fire-suppressant powder, a device that would eventually save countless lives across Europe. The significance of this modest address cannot be overstated: it was here that Godfrey lived for thirty-five years, pouring his intellect and resources into solving one of the era's most pressing dangers, while simultaneously running a successful apothecary business that served the neighborhood. Standing before this plaque today, you're looking at the humble London workshop where innovation, persistence, and the mind of one brilliant inventor converged to create something entirely new—a legacy that extends from this Covent Garden street corner into every modern fire safety system in the world.