‘Fuelled by Coffee’ is the second in a series of online galleries from the ‘Fire! Risk and Revelations’ exhibition by the Insurance Museum.
The first gallery, ‘Rising from the Ashes’ launched earlier this autumn and told the story of the birth of fire insurance back in 1667, following the historic Great Fire of London – the event which was instrumental in highlighting the need for fire insurance.
‘Fuelled by Coffee’, which is now live, will focus on the newly formed insurance companies that proliferated in the early 18th century and was inspired by how important English coffee houses were to network, debate and conduct business, including the famously renowned Lloyd’s Coffee House.
It will feature video interviews with industry experts, interesting facts and focus on fascinating objects from archives and museums, to illustrate how fire insurance developed over the years.
Reg Brown, Chairman of Insurance Museum says – “Fire insurance has a fascinating history and I’m delighted we’ve been able to bring this story to life through extensive research and strong collaborations with experts in their field. I hope the online galleries produced by the Insurance Museum will serve as an inspiring platform and open the world of insurance to many new audiences.”
Howard Benge, Director of Insurance Museum says – “This second online gallery continues the story of early fire insurance and the coffee houses that proliferated in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Using original objects and documents, it’s told in an exciting and lively way, looking at the people involved as well as the companies. For the Insurance Museum, it means we can reach more audiences, and provide a foundation to engage with schools and colleges, introducing children and young people to insurance, its history, how it works in society today and the future challenges.”
The Insurance Museum aims to inform and educate about the history of different areas of insurance through various exhibitions, with the first – ‘Fire! Risk and Revelations’ focusing on fire insurance.
Through further support and funding from the industry, the plan is to produce further exhibitions, a pop-up museum with educational facilities and ultimately, a permanent museum to be based in EC3, in the heart of the City of London.
A special thanks for all the donations we’ve received for the second gallery, in particular to the Education and Training Trust of the Chartered Insurance Institute. Also a big thank you to all the contributors and collectors, historians and experts in their field that have helped with the content for the gallery, including Anna Stone and the team at the AVIVA Group Archive, Ron Long, Bright Wright, Brian Henham, Brian Sharpe, Pete Zymanczyk and Robin Pearson.
The ‘Fuelled By Coffee’ gallery can be viewed here – https://insurance.museum/fuelled-by-coffee
How you can be involved
To support the Insurance Museum you can donate money through our website – https://insurance. museum/donate or JustGiving Page – https://www.justgiving.com/insurancemuseum. Alternatively, for £50 a year, you can become an IM Member which offers articles, podcasts and events which take a deep dive into insurance history and the museum’s plans. Find out more here – https://insurance. museum/membership
Insurance Museum details for further information:
The Insurance Museum is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, (Registered Charity Number 1188138).
Address: c/o Chartered Insurance Institute, 3rd Floor, 20 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 3BY
Email: info@insurancemuseum.uk
Website: https://www.insurance.museum
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/insurancemuseum/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/InsuranceMuseum
PRESS CONTACTS:
Howard Benge – Insurance Museum Director – director@insurancemuseum.uk
Nicola Manning – Marketing Manager – nicola.manning@ob.consulting
