Berkshire

Fire Safety & Security Services in Windsor

Fire alarm systems, CCTV, fire risk assessments and ongoing maintenance for Windsor hotels, guest houses, restaurants, shops and listed commercial buildings, including Eton and Old Windsor.

Windsor's economy leans heavily on visitors, and much of its commercial stock sits in timber-framed and Georgian buildings inside some of the oldest conservation areas in the Royal Borough. Sleeping guests, busy kitchens and historic construction shape how fire safety is managed here.

We cover Windsor from our Hayes head office along the M4. IDS Global has traded since 2011 and is a member of the IFSM and the FPA.

Businesses and buildings in Windsor

Tourism is one of the two largest economic sectors in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. VisitWindsor's Visitor Economy Development Plan, drawing on Tourism South East figures for 2021-22, values the visitor economy at £743m and counts 1,625 tourism businesses out of 9,375 in the borough. The same plan records 57 serviced accommodation properties with around 4,500 bedspaces, including four five-star and ten four-star hotels.

In the town centre, Windsor Royal now brings the former Windsor Yards and Windsor Royal Station shopping centres under one name. The listed Windsor and Eton Central station, rebuilt in 1897, is now largely in specialist retail use, and the Yards provides the town's principal shoppers' car park. Across the bridge, the council's Eton appraisal describes a commercial southern end of galleries, antique and gift shops, restaurants and pubs, with Eton College dominating the north of the town.

Fire Risk Assessments in Windsor

A town centre hotel, a pub with rooms and a guest house in a Victorian terrace all have sleeping occupants, which makes the fire risk assessment the central document for the responsible person. In Windsor the assessment often has to deal with buildings where an 18th century or older structure sits behind a later shopfront, which can mean concealed voids, altered stairs and escape routes through historic fabric.

We assess premises under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and produce a prioritised action plan. For HMO landlords, the Royal Borough asks for a copy of the fire risk assessment with every licence application, so we write reports that stand up to that check.

Fire risk assessments

Fire Alarm Installation in Windsor

Hotels and guest houses depend on a detection system that wakes guests who do not know the building. In Windsor that system often has to be routed through 18th century structures behind later shopfronts, where concealed voids and altered stairs affect both detector coverage and cable runs.

We design and install BS 5839 systems for sleeping accommodation, restaurants and shops, choosing detector types that suit kitchens and bathrooms and sounders that are audible in every bedroom. In listed buildings we survey first and plan cable routes and device positions to limit the effect on historic fabric.

Fire alarm installation

CCTV Installation in Windsor

Police.uk data for a one mile radius of Windsor town centre records 306 shoplifting offences between August 2025 and July 2026, with a peak of 47 in April 2026. Retailers in Windsor Royal and along the High Street and Thames Street trade to the same visitor crowds that drive the town's economy.

We install cameras to cover entrances, tills and stockrooms, with recording that staff can export for the police. On listed frontages we keep external equipment compact and agree positions before any fixing.

CCTV installation

Fire Alarm Maintenance and Monitoring in Windsor

For licensed HMOs in Windsor, Eton and Old Windsor, the council's application list asks for test reports covering fire detection and emergency lighting. Regular servicing to BS 5839, with log book entries, provides those reports.

Galleries and antique shops in Eton and retailers in Windsor Royal are typically closed and unstaffed overnight. Connecting a fire or intruder alarm to a monitoring centre means an activation is acted on even when nobody is on site to hear it, and we agree call-out and keyholder procedures with each business.

Fire alarm maintenance and monitoring

Historic buildings in Windsor and Eton

The Windsor Town Centre Conservation Area was designated in December 1969, one of the first in the borough, and the council's appraisal counts over 130 listed buildings and structures within it. Most buildings on the High Street and Thames Street are listed for group value; their ground floor shopfronts are 19th or 20th century, but many of the structures above are 18th century or older. Castle Hill, Church Street, Market Street and St Alban's Street hold the largest group of timber-framed medieval buildings. Eton's conservation area, first designated in 1971, has listed buildings from the 15th century, including the timber-framed former Cockpit restaurant from around 1440. Old Windsor's conservation area dates from December 1981 and has not been appraised since. The Royal Borough has 27 conservation areas in total.

The 1992 Windsor Castle fire

On 20 November 1992 a faulty spotlight set a curtain alight beside the altar of the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. According to VisitWindsor's account, 225 firefighters from seven counties fought the fire for 15 hours, with 36 pumps in use at the peak and around 1.5 million gallons of water discharged. The fire destroyed 115 rooms, including nine State Rooms, while a firebreak kept it from the Royal Library. Restoration was completed on 20 November 1997. It remains a clear lesson for anyone managing historic interiors: one heat source against combustible furnishings was enough.

HMO licensing in the Royal Borough

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead requires a licence for HMOs occupied by five or more people from two or more households who share facilities. Applications must include a gas safety certificate, an EICR, test reports for fire detection and emergency lighting, a copy of the fire risk assessment and a PAT certificate. From April 2026 the fee for a first property of up to five bedrooms is £920.70. The council states that HMOs outside licensing must still be run within the law, including the 2006 management regulations, and that it makes unannounced visits.

Crime in central Windsor

police.uk street-level data for a one mile radius of Windsor town centre records 2,343 crimes between August 2025 and July 2026. That includes 306 shoplifting offences, 203 other thefts, 159 vehicle crimes, 155 incidents of criminal damage and arson, 86 bicycle thefts and 78 burglaries. Shoplifting peaked at 47 offences in April 2026.

Services available in Windsor

Frequently asked questions

Does my Windsor hotel or guest house need a fire risk assessment?

Yes. Any premises with paying guests falls under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and the responsible person must have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. With sleeping guests, it should cover night-time evacuation, alarm audibility in bedrooms and overnight staffing.

What fire safety documents does RBWM want with an HMO licence application?

The Royal Borough's application list includes test reports for fire detection and emergency lighting, a copy of the fire risk assessment, a gas safety certificate, an EICR and a PAT certificate, along with a floor plan showing room sizes and facilities. We can provide the fire risk assessment, install or upgrade fire detection, and service existing fire alarm and emergency lighting systems so the test reports are in place.

Is fire safety work in a listed Windsor building treated differently?

Fire safety duties are the same, but the town centre, Eton and Old Windsor sit within conservation areas and many commercial buildings are listed, so changes to historic fabric need care. Our fire risk assessments record the existing construction and point out where a measure may affect historic fabric, so you can discuss options with the council's conservation team before committing to any works.

Where is the fire station that covers Windsor?

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service runs a wholetime fire station in Tinkers Lane, Windsor, next to the Fairacres Industrial Estate. The station has been in use since November 2014 and was jointly funded by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and the Royal Berkshire Fire Authority, with the council owning the site and building.

Does IDS Global cover Eton and Old Windsor as well as Windsor town centre?

Yes. IDS Global covers the SL4 postcode area, including Eton High Street and Old Windsor, from our Hayes head office via the M4. We offer the full service range here, from fire risk assessments and fire alarm, CCTV and access control installation to fire door installation, fire marshal training, servicing and monitoring.