Street Lighting

Conservation Area (CA)

Thematic Survey

Local listing reference

LLHA0255

Description

Street lighting in the form of gas lamps arrived in 1816 in London. There followed a proliferation of cast-iron gas lamp posts in a prodigious range of designs. Early examples in Brighton & Hove were at the Old Steine in 1824 following the laying of mains. Electric street lighting was the product of the Victorian period, from about 1879 in London and in Brighton from the 1880s, firstly at the Royal Pavilion. Mains were laid in Brighton & Hove in the 1890s but they largely enabled electric lighting internally, except for the 1890s electric lighting columns on Brighton seafront. The transition to electricity for street lighting was very gradual; in 1919 there were still almost 2,000 gas street lights in Hove whilst as late as 1938 there were still c100 gas lamps in Brighton.

Original surviving gas lamp columns can generally be distinguished by the presence of an electrical junction box addition at the top of the column. Most of the surviving purpose-built electric lighting columns were erected in the 1920s and 1930s or later. This followed the founding of the Brighton Lighting and Electrical Engineering Co. Limited (BLEECO) in 1921, who took on the contract to modernise street lighting in Brighton and Hove. They also designed the ‘swan neck’ lanterns common from this time.

There are 5 main types of standard cast iron street lighting column in Brighton & Hove, plus a few rarer types, including the much larger seafront columns (of which the Brighton ones are statutorily listed). Of five main types, two were designed as gas lamp columns. (column types 1 and 4) and two were designed as electric lamp columns and are much more common (column types 2 and 3). Very rare are the early type 5 column, which appears to be a gas lamp column, The type 6 electric light column in Hove is much rarer than the other electric column types. In addition some rare examples of other patterns survive but the known historic examples are statutorily listed.

A. Architectural, design and artistic interest

i. Designs for cast iron lighting columns patterns in the 19th century had local and regional distinctiveness.

ii. Cast iron street light columns were designed in a variety of patterns, often quite complex and ornate.

B. Historic and evidential interest

i. Designs for cast iron lighting columns patterns in the 19th century had local and regional distinctiveness.

ii. Cast iron street light columns were designed in a variety of patterns, often quite complex and ornate.

C. Townscape interest

i. Cast iron street lights, particularly where they survive as a group in streets and squares, contribute very positively to the historic street scene in conservation areas.

iv. Historic street lights can be of particular interest when viewed in association with notable listed buildings or formal groups such as listed squares, crescents and terraces, as well as in historic parks and gardens.

E. Rarity and representativeness

i. There are over nearly 5,000 remaining cast iron street lights in Brighton & Hove and therefore a degree of selectivity is required based on relative rarity and heritage context. In recent decades there has been a fashion for historicist lamp posts, sometimes using modern castings of old designs, and care needs to be taken when establishing genuine 19th or early 20th century examples. 

Criteria for Inclusion

• Rare cast iron column patterns in conservation areas that are not one of the main types, unless it appears that they are examples of historicist replacements
• Surviving examples of type 1, type 4, type 5 and type 6 columns in conservation areas, where known and identified
• Groups or rows of type 2 and type 3 columns where located in formal streets, squares, crescents or terraces of listed buildings or where associated with a notable listed building or historic open space.

Additionally, the survival of original swan neck electric lanterns will be taken into consideration.          

The known locations of street lighting matching the above criteria are itemised on the list below and are included on the local list.

This will be added to if further rare examples come to light:

• Bedford Square, Brighton – Six type 3 columns
• Belgrave Place, Brighton – Three type 3 columns
• Belton Road, Brighton – One type 1 column
• Brunswick Street East, Hove – One type 1 column
• Chapel Mews, Hove, outside St Andrews Church – One type 2 column
• Chester Terrace, Brighton – Three type 1 columns and one type 4 column
• Church Hill, Patcham – Six type 3 columns
• Crescent Road, Brighton – Two type 1 columns
• Cross Street, Hove – Three type 2 columns
• Clifton Terrace, Brighton – Six type 3 columns
• College Road, Brighton – One type 1 column and one type 5 column
• D’Aubigny Road, Brighton – One type 1 column and one type 4 column
• Dyke Road, St Nicholas churchyard paths – One variant of type 1 column and six type 3 columns
• East Drive, Brighton – Four type 3 columns
• East Street, Brighton – Four type 3 columns
• Eaton Gardens, Hove – Six type 6 columns
• Edburton Avenue, Brighton – One type 1 column and two type 4 columns
• Farman Street, Hove – Two type 2 columns
• First Avenue, Hove – One type 6 column
• Fourth Avenue, Hove – Three type 6 columns
• Gloucester Road, Brighton (west end) – One variant of type 1 column
• Goldstone Villas, Hove - One type 9 column
• Greenways, Ovingdean – One type 3 column outside Ovingdean Grange
• Havelock Road, Brighton – Four type 1 columns
• Kingsway / Kings Esplanade / Western Esplanade Hove – Fifty seven type 8 columns
• Lewes Crescent, Brighton – Six type 4 columns
• Lucerne Road, Brighton – Two type 4 columns
• Marine Square, Brighton – Eight type 3 columns
• Mayo Road, Brighton – One type 1 column
• Middle Street, Brighton – Two type 3 columns
• New Steine, Brighton – Ten type 3 columns
• Norfolk Square, Brighton – Four type 3 columns
• Old Steine gardens, Brighton – Thirteen type 7 columns
• Oriental Place, Brighton – Four type 3 columns
• Palmeira Square, Hove – Ten type 2 columns
• Pelham Square, Brighton – Five type 3 columns
• Powis Square, Brighton – Three type 3 columns
• Princes Crescent, Brighton – Four type 1 columns
• Princes Road, Brighton – Four type 1 columns
• Queens Park, Brighton – Eight type 3 columns
• Regency Square, Brighton – Sixteen type 3 columns
• Richmond Road, Brighton – Five type 1 column
• Round Hill Road, Brighton – One type 1 column
• Round Hill Street, Brighton – One type 1 column
• Southdown Road, Brighton – Three type 4 columns
• St Luke’s Terrace, outside nos. 1/3, Brighton – One type 1 column
• The Level, Brighton – Twenty seven type 7 columns
• Third Avenue, Hove – One type 6 column
• Upper Market Street, Hove – Five type 2 columns
• Victoria Gardens, Brighton – Twenty type 7 columns
• Waldegrave Road, Brighton – Five type 1 columns
• West Drive, Brighton – Two type 4 columns
• Westbourne Place, Hove – One type 6 column
• Westbourne Villas, Hove – Four type 6 columns

Date of Inclusion

Original entry 2015, updated 2023 to include St Luke’s Terrace.

The main types are described as follows and shown in the photo:

Column type 1 - Octagonal, panelled socle serves as a base for octagonal tapering shaft, panelled to match base, simple coved capital. Only found in Brighton. Moulding detail varies. Some have a nameplate from a Brighton foundry.

Column type 2 - Square plinth chamfered to an octagon with ribbed surface decoration, slender tapering shaft of clustered columns, calyx or bell capital. Manufactured by J Every of Lewes. Mostly found in Hove.

Column type 3 - Cylindrical socle with lockable compartment, often marked BLEECO but sometimes with the Brighton Borough crest; fluted, tapering shaft topped basket capital. Found in Brighton and Hove. Designed by BLEECO. Often manufactured by J Every of Lewes.

Column type 4 - Straight-sided post cast as fluted and tapering Tuscan column rising from a cylindrical impost block, single maintenance arm topped by plain cylindrical impost. Only found in Brighton.

Column type 5 - Square base with broached corners, fluted column, two ladder arms, leaf capital. Maker’s name stamped on base. Only found in Brighton.

Column type 6 – Wide circular base with concave socle, circular projecting band with Tudor roses and egg and dart moulding below, topped by tapering fluted shaft with acanthus pattern to swelling foot and twin maintenance arm. Maker’s plate shows cast in Brighton. Almost exclusively found in Hove.

Column type 7 - A further type of early electric lighting column is seen only in the historic public open spaces on Valley Gardens, having been installed in the 1920s following the redesign of the gardens by Captain MacLaren. These were designed by BLEECO.

Column type 8 - On the seafront in Hove there are distinctive tall electric lighting columns dating from 1923 and manufactured by J Every of Lewes (though three were replaced in the 1990s when new double lanterns were fitted at the eastern end).

Column Type 9 - A gas lamp column with narrow circular panelled socle serving as a base for a fluted tapering shaft and twin maintenance arms. Known to have been used in parts of Hove. Only one known surviving example.