Design differences

We have found a vary of designs throughout our area. The lampposts consist of four parts – the pedestal, the column, the neck and the ladder rests. There is then the modern light fitting. The lamp post in your street may be composed of any combination of these factors and may contain posts of differing designs depending on when they were installed and the foundry they came from. The most frequent design found in the neighbourhood design is an octagonal base and column with a double band on the columns and a swan neck. This was a common design throughout the UK and was created by many different foundries with minor variations.  If there is a foundry mark on your lamp post it is usually on the pedestal.

• Pedestals

Almost all the historic lampposts have octagonal pedestals,  painted dark green.  They vary in height and width. A few of the pedestals have what we describe as ‘panelled’ octagonal sections and even fewer of these panelled pedestals have a small ‘doorway’ in them. Many of the pedestals are in much worse condition than their columns. We speculate that this is because many of them have regularly been used as dog toilets over the years and the acid has reacted with the paint and metal.

• Columns

The columns are either octagonal or fluted and are painted pale green. Some of the columns and pedestals have decorative raised studs. The most common decoration is a double band about a third of the way up the column.

Most of the posts have swan necks, i.e. shaped like a ?. Some have a simpler bent neck.

• Ladder rests.

Many lights were originally powered by gas ( although Exeter was an early adopted of electrical power street lighting ) and so standard posts had a bar at the top of the column to against which  the gaslighter could place their ladder.  Some lamps have lost their ladder rests  but the majority retain at least one. There are simple bar ladder rests but the most  decorative ones are thicker fluted rests. These are usually double.

• Foundry marks

The variety of makers’ names we found on the lampposts reflects the rich industrial heritage of Exeter. The majority of the lamppost have no maker marks  and some  are indecipherable due to layers of paint. Those that are recorded in the grid are:

·      Willeys - based in Water Lane, Havens Bank from the 1890s

·      Garton and King - founded in 1661, based in Water Street from the 1830s

·      Shepherd and Son - 1843, based in the Albion Foundry in Longbrook Street and Terrace

·      Parkin and Son - Bonhay Foundry, based in Bonhay Road

·      Eagle Foundry - 1859 , based on Exe Island

·      Dock Foundry  Exmouth – later The Point Iron Works

·      REVO – 1907,  Tipton Birmingham

·      John Needham and Sons  - 1834, Stockport

·      Wombwell  Foundry – 1896, Barnsley

Information about all these foundries can easily be found on-line.

If we can renovate and extend the life of these lamp posts we will be doing our bit to preserve important reminders of our industrial heritage, enhance our built environment and support the move towards repair rather than replace. There will be a meeting sometime in September to discuss what we have learnt re costings and permissions and decide how to proceed. If you would like to come along ,please let me know if you have nt already been in contact  maureenlewis03@gmail.com