Description

667/0/10194 CLARE ROAD
07-SEP-10 Gas lamp post outside number 5

II
Street lamp erected by the Cambridge University and Town Gas Light Company, c. 1889.

DESCRIPTION
Made of cast iron to a design loosely based on the classical column, the lamp consists of a fluted shaft which tapers slightly towards the top before splaying out to form a plain banded capital. A simple four-sided lantern of metal and glass, crowned with a simple round finial detail, rests upon four curved metal supports, and a ladder-rest projects from its base.

HISTORY
Gas was introduced to Cambridge in about 1822 by John Grafton. He made gas from oil for street lighting in 1823, producing gas from coal a little later and finally moving his production site to the riverside for ease of coal delivery. An Act of 1834 converted his company to the Cambridge Gas-Light Company, which in 1867 became the Cambridge University and Town Gas Light Company. Gas production ceased on the riverside site in 1969 following the introduction of North Sea gas into Cambridge.

The gas lamp in Clare Road dates from the late C19 and is still supplied with gas, having remained in use to the present day.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
The gas lamp post outside no.s 4 and 5 South Green Road, Cambridge is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORIC INTEREST: It is an unusual example of a finely-detailed C19 gas lamp post.
* It is still lit by gas.

Reasons for Listing

The gas lamp post between no. 5 Clare Road, Cambridge is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORIC INTEREST: This is an unusual example of a finely-detailed C19 gas lamp post.
* INTACTNESS: It is still lit by gas.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26673084

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

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  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy