Two antiques dealers and their supporters campaigning for Westminster Council to stop removing historic gas lamps have won a temporary reprieve, reports Antiques Gazette.
image: for illustration purposes only
Antiques Gazette writes:
…No more working gas lamps will be removed while this consultation….has been completed’…
Antiquarian book dealer Tim Bryars of Bryars & Bryars in Cecil Court and Luke Honey, a dealer who previously worked in auction houses including Phillips, Bloomsbury Auctions and Bonhams, have begun raising awareness about the plans by the council and have support from other antiques dealers and historians.
Westminster Council announced last year that from 2022 it will “be installing like-for-like lanterns on non-listed lamp columns….”
However, those against the plans believe the original lamps should be kept to preserve the aesthetics of historic London.
Following the campaign the council announced …. (January 26) that the plan to upgrade the lights has been “paused while the council talks to residents and local groups to ensure proposed electric replacements reflect the city’s heritage. No more working gas lamps will be removed while this consultation – expected to take until the end of this year – has been completed”.
Cllr Rachael Robathan, leader of Westminster City Council, said: “We all recognise the value these historic gas lamps bring to our city. They are part of our heritage and why people love visiting and living here.
“While these lamps are beautiful and atmospheric, 200-year-old fittings are increasingly difficult to maintain as spare parts are difficult to come by….”
A Historic England spokesperson said: “…. in our view, Listed Building Consent would be required to replace gas lights that are listed, and we are expecting further discussion in the coming months.”
As part of the campaign Honey created social media accounts under the name The London Gasketeers and is in the process of creating a website. They have support from celebrities including actor Simon Callow as well as fellow antiques dealers and historians….
In London there are working gas lamps maintained at Westminster Abbey and even new ones reinstalled with Ptolemy Dean, Westminster Abbey’s surveyor of the fabric, ensuring the gas lamps are cherished. There are also Victorian lamps used and maintained at St Paul’s Church, Covent Garden.
While in Malvern there are around 80 working gas lamps while Clifton in Bristol is also preserving its lamps. Further afield, in the US Cincinnati, Ohio and in Boston, Massachusetts have historic districts with working lamps.
Follow the campaign via Twitter at @LondonGasketeer and Instagram @thelondongasketeers
Gas lamps in numbers
- 305 gas lights in Westminster
- 139 of these are listed
- 10% of the 305 gas lights have been replaced with LED lights so far
