Phoenix Assurance

The Phoenix Assurance Company Limited was an English insurance company that existed from 1782 to 1984.^[1]

Phoenix Assurance

Printed wooden wall board circa 1900
Building formerly known as Phoenix House on King William Street, the company's seat from 1915 to 1983
Company type	Public
Industry	Insurance
Founded	1782 (1782)
Defunct	1984 (1984)
Fate	Acquired by Sun Alliance
Headquarters	London, UK

History

The Phoenix fire station in Cockspur Street, 1873

The company was established in London in 1782.^[2] At that time, the company employed red-coated attendants clattering to the fires of London on horse-drawn tenders.^[3]

The Phoenix figured in case law. In 1796, the company refused to pay damages awarded of £3,000 (2021: £310,000) following a 1792 fire at a house in Tavistock Street, London. Phoenix claimed that the owners had failed to obtain a certificate from the ministers and churchwardens of the parish affirming the good character of the victims. Phoenix issued a writ of error to appeal against the original decision.^[4]

Phoenix diversified into life insurance, establishing the Pelican Life Office in 1797.^[5] In 1907 Phoenix reabsorbed Pelican Life Assurance, at that time known as the Pelican and British Empire Life Office, becoming a composite insurer.^[5]

The company built a new head office at 3-7 King William Street, erected in 1915,^[6] on a design by John Macvicar Anderson and his son Henry Lennox Anderson.^[7] It was known as Phoenix House while the seat of the company from 1915 to 1983; the name later went to another building at No. 18 in the same street.^[8]

Sun Alliance & London acquired Phoenix Assurance in 1984.^[9] In 2004, Resolution Life acquired the life operations of RSA. The following year, Resolution acquired the UK operations of Swiss Life, and merged RSA Life and Swiss Life into a new group called Phoenix Life.^[10] In 2008, Pearl Group acquired Resolution Life, and in 2010 Pearl Group renamed itself Phoenix Group.^[11]