London’s Gas Lamps
A Brief Overview
The world’s first gas-powered street lighting was installed by Frederick Winsor on Pall Mall, London in 1807 to celebrate the birthday of King George III. In 1812, Parliament granted a charter to the London and Westminster Gas Light and Coke Company – the company from which British Gas is descended – and by December the following year, Westminster Bridge was being lit by gas-fuelled streetlamps.
More economical than oil lamps or candles, the technology proliferated and by 1823, several towns and cities in Britain were lit by gas. By 1859, around a thousand gas works had been created to cope with the demand, but the predominance of the gas lamp was to be short-lived. Electric street lighting was first introduced in London in 1878 and quickly spread, leading to the replacement of most gas street lighting.
Today, there are around 1,300 functioning gas lamps in London and several smaller networks across the UK, most notably in Nottingham and Malvern. Most of the lamps are serviced by a small team of dedicated British Gas ‘Lamplighters’, whose role involves adjusting the lighting mechanisms in tandem with the changing hours of sunrise and sunset, cleaning the lamps and carrying out any necessary repairs and maintenance.
Gas lanterns can differ in type and there are several variations in terms of their functionality, with many controlled by mechanically wound clocks, others by battery-powered clock timers and some by mains power. The base of every streetlamp is marked with the crest of the reigning monarch in the year that it was commissioned. The oldest streetlamps can be found on Birdcage Walk, adjacent to Buckingham Palace, adorned with the insignia of King George IV.
Amidst the current focus on reducing carbon emissions and volatile global energy prices, many of the existing lamps are under threat. Whilst the carbon emissions the lamps produce are quite small – 8 lamps are roughly the equivalent of 1 patio heater – The Lamp Lighting Team is always looking at ways to innovate, whilst preserving the heritage of the lamps. This could involve switching to hydrogen or bio-fuel as a means of powering the lamps in the future.
London’s Gas Lamps
Westminster Abbey
- St Margaret’s Church Lamp
Type: Grosvenor
Date: c.1814
Notes: Affixed to the entrance of the clock tower South of Parliament Square, this lamp was one of the first to be installed in London following the charter granted by Parliament to the Westminster Gas Light and Coke Company.
Location: admits.apples.gears - Entrance to Westminster Abbey
Type: Hexagon
Date: c.1814
Notes: These elaborate gas lamps are affixed to the main entrance of Westminster Abbey and would have been one of the first to have been installed in the Parish of St Margaret’s in the early 19th Century. Immaculately maintained with gold leaf detailing, these lamps have been prominent during recent state ceremonial occasions such as the coronation of HM King Charles III and the funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
Location: aura.shuts.wishes - Stained Glass Lamp
Type: Grosvenor
Date: 1813
Notes: This beautiful, unique stained glass lamp sits above the Dean’s Yard entrance to Westminster Abbey next to Westminster School. It is, as far as we are aware, one of a kind.
Location: slimy.value.comical - Dean’s Yard Lamp
Type: Hexagon
Date: 1813
Notes: The oldest gas lamp in London, fixed to the wall near the entrance to the Westminster Abbey Cloisters in Dean’s Yard, has been in use for over 200 years. It was previously an oil lamp.
Location: flesh.towns.goods
Royal Parks
- Birdcage Walk Lamps
Type: Grosvenor
Date: c.1820
Notes: The gas lamps lining Birdcage Walk bear the cypher of King George IV, who reigned from 1820 – 1830, having previously served as Prince Regent in place of his father, King George III, who was incapacitated by mental illness throughout the final decade of his life. These lamps are almost certainly the oldest remaining streetlamps in London. Today, Birdcage Walk provides an interesting contrast between the gas lamps lining the St James’s Park side of the road and the electric lamps on the opposite side, adjacent to Wellington Barracks.
Location: sticks.tent.rushed - Canada Gate Lamps
Type: Windsor Special
Date: 1911
Notes: Presented to London by the Canadian Government in memorial to Queen Victoria, Canada Gate is home to four of the most ornate and attractive gas lamps in London. Part of the processional route from Trafalgar Square to Buckingham Palace designed by Sir Aston Webb, these lamps sit atop one of the main entrances to Green Park, at the Northern edge of the ‘rond point’ opposite Buckingham Palace. The gates themselves feature coats of arms for six of the seven Canadian provinces at the time, as well as the original Canadian coat of arms. Coats of arms for British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta were added later to the stone pillars flanking the monument.
Location: stay.risks.upon - Australia Gate Lamps
Type: Windsor Special
Date: 1908
Notes: One of three ‘Dominion Gates’ gifted by commonwealth states in memory of the late Queen Victoria, these gates feature two beautifully decorated gas lanterns, similar in style to those that sit atop the Canada Gate. Situated on Spur Road opposite Buckingham Palace, two stone pillars frame the gate and feature a boy holding the Australian coat of arms, alongside a sheep representing the heavy wool industry, in which Australia was the largest producer at the turn of the 20th Century.
Location: crash.prep.cope - Jubilee / Coronation Lamp
Type: Windsor
Date: Mid-19th Century
Notes: Having been granted special permission by the Royal Parks, our team of Lamplighters upgraded this lamp in celebration of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, painting it royal purple and gold and adding a commemorative plaque. More recently, the lamp was re-painted to commemorate the coronation of HM King Charles III.
Location: spits.moth.labels - Queen Mother Memorial
Type: Special
Date: 2009
Notes: Commissioned by HM Queen Elizabeth II as a tribute to the Queen Mother, 4 large gas lanterns adorn the memorial. Funded by the issue of a commemorative £5 coin from the Royal Mint, the Royal Family specified that gas lanterns were to be used to illuminate the statue.
Location: crew.blog.dunes - Duke of York Statue
Type: Westminster
Date: 1834
Notes: Following the death of the Duke of York in 1827, the entire British Army – within which the Duke had enjoyed a somewhat inauspicious career – was obliged to relinquish one day’s wages to fund this monument. To this day, two rare Westminster style lanterns illuminate the entrance to the 138ft column.
Location: hips.rails.fits
Westminster
- Goodwin’s Court
Type: Grosvenor
Date: Mid-19th Century
Notes: Rumoured to have been the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series (alongside Cecil Court), it is also said to have been home for actress and royal mistress Nell Gwyn in the 17th Century.
Location: darker.urgent.expose - Carlton Gardens
Type: Rochester / Grosvenor
Date: c.1820
Notes: These lamps bear King George IV’s cypher having been installed during his reign and were a useful reference point for anyone feeling their way through the smoggy streets of London during the industrial revolution or the blackouts during WW2. Carlton House Terrace was once part of St James’ Palace and was referred to as the ‘Royal Garden’ and the ‘Wilderness’. Number 1 Carlton Gardens has been the official residence of the Foreign Secretary since 1945, whilst Number 2 was briefly host to the famous Carlton Club. Number 3 was the home of Section Y, MI6 for an undisclosed period of time post-WW2 and was used to interrogate the famous British traitor George Blake following his arrest in 1961.
Location: garage.paper.object - Cecil Court Lamps
Type: Rochester
Date: c.1890
Notes: Said to have been the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series due to its antiquarian character and the fact that it is connected to Charing Cross Road (as is the case in the books), Cecil Court is home to 2 Rochester style lamps. One of the oldest passages in Covent Garden, Cecil Court can trace its history back to the late 17th Century and was once home to a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart during a European tour at the slightly unfathomable age of 8 years old.
Location: dizzy.wake.host - Cork Street Back Lamp
Type: Victorian Back Lamp
Date: c.1920
Notes: Wall mounted without a bracket to save space; these lamps were designed to provide lighting in the narrow passageways of Victorian London. This is one of two remaining back lamps in London.
Location: punks.boots.spins - Blue Ball Yard Back Lamp
Type: Victorian Back Lamp
Date: c.1890
Notes: Wall mounted without a bracket to save space; these lamps were designed to provide lighting in the narrow passageways of Victorian London. This is one of two remaining back lamps in London.
Location: garage.formed.cheer - Sewer Lamp
Type: Windsor
Date: 1870
Notes: The only remaining lamp of its kind in London, the Webb Patent Sewer Gas Lamp was a sewer destructor lamp, brainchild of the late 19th century inventor, Joseph Webb. Following Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s installation of a new network of underground sewers, it became apparent that an outlet was required to prevent the potentially explosive build-up of methane gas. ‘Dual-powered’ by town gas supplies and methane drawn from the sewer system, this lamp remains lit 24/7, powered (in part) by the waste of guests at the adjacent Savoy Hotel and Theatre.
Location: fact.guides.zest - St Paul’s Church
Type: Windsor Special
Date: c.1880
Notes: Known as the Actors’ Church, due to its proximity to some of London’s most prominent theatres and the resultant association it enjoys with the theatre community, the Church Yard features 10 unique, specially commissioned gas lamps. Featuring distinctive blue paintwork, 8 of the lamps are mounted on columns throughout the gardens, with the remaining two fixed above the passageways to the Covent Garden piazza and Henrietta Street.
Location: motion.petal.oval - Churton Place Lamp
Type: Grosvenor
Date: c.1880
Notes: Situated in the Pimlico Conservation Area – designated due to the grid architecture and stucco terraces established by famous architect Thomas Cubitt in the 19th century – this lamp is said to have been originally installed due to Churton Place being ‘badly lit’.
Location: cult.hips.coats - Rules Restaurant Lamp, Maiden Lane
Type: Grosvenor
Date: c.1910
Notes: Located on Maiden Lane, this lamp stands outside Rules Restaurant, which, having opened in 1798, is one of London’s oldest. Maiden Lane itself is part of an ancient track that linked the original Covent Garden – which belonged to the monks of Westminster Abbey – to St Martin’s Lane. Following the establishment of houses along its boundaries in the 17th century, it eventually became a cul-de-sac. However, in 1857 a passage was established so that Queen Victoria’s carriage didn’t have to turn round after dropping her off at the Adelphi Theatre.
Location: spell.entire.prep - Theatre Royal Lamp
Type: Rochester
Date: c.1930
Notes: Located opposite the Theatre Royal on Russell Street, this lamp was likely to have been installed in the interwar years. First erected under a charter from King Charles II, the Theatre Royal itself has burned down twice in 1672 and 1809. Today, the theatre is owned by the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and has just undergone an extensive renovation project.
Location: spare.sing.villa
Bromley
- Gas Light and Coke Company Memorial Lamp
Type: Special
Date: 1922
Notes: Mounted on a stone plinth and column, this lamp was originally created to commemorate company employees who died during WW1. It was later updated with an additional bronze plaque to commemorate those who fell during WW2. Both original plaques were stolen in 2006, but have since been replaced.
Location: vine.recall.moves
Middle Temple
- Middle Temple Lamps
Type: Various
Date: 1817 – 1857
Notes: Seized by King Henry VIII from the Knights Hospitaller in 1540, much of the Middle Temple was destroyed by a fire in January 1679. As the River Thames was frozen over at the time, beer from the Temple cellars was used to fight the fire, which was eventually contained by some of the buildings being blown up with gunpowder. Initially installed in the lanes and courts of Middle Temple as a replacement for the existing oil lamps, the Temple’s gas lamp network expanded into internal areas in the mid-19th century. One of the four Inns of Court entitled to call its members to the English Bar as barristers, Middle Temple is an independent extra-parochial area, meaning that it sits outside the jurisdiction of the Corporation of London.
Location: shady.seated.fake
Inner Temple
- Inner Temple Lamps
Type: Various
Date: c.1850
Notes: Originally host to the London contingent of the Knights Templar, the Inner Temple was largely destroyed during the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. After having been rebuilt in the 14th Century, much of the Inn was destroyed again during the great fire of London in 1666 and in subsequent fires in 1677 and 1678. One of the four Inns of Court entitled to call its members to the English Bar as barristers, Inner Temple is an independent extra-parochial area, meaning that it sits outside the jurisdiction of the Corporation of London. Today, it is home to 116 gas lamps of varying styles, the earliest of which would have been installed in the mid-19th century.
Location: worker.decent.member
Charterhouse
- Charterhouse Entrance Lamp
Type: Hexagon
Date: 2017
Notes: Unveiled in January 2017 to coincide with site being opened to public access, this bespoke gas lamp features 16 mantles set in an enamel and glass globe at the centre of a forged steel canopy. The canopy features interwoven metal strands symbolising continuity, community and the overlap of the centuries. Originally constructed as a Carthusian Monastery in the 16th Century, Charterhouse has also been a private mansion, a boys’ school and an almshouse, which it remains to this day.
Location: feed.plates.thing