Save Our Swan-neck heads
Brighton and Hove has many remaining historic street lights. A varied selection of these can still be found in Round Hill. But both Round Hill and Queens Park have experienced removal of some of our most valued lamp standards and replacement of columns and lanterns with cheap plain steel poles &/or to fit cut-price light fittings which pay no respect to the period features of the conservation areas. The replacements have sometimes been no better in reliability.
Brighton and Hove City Council will only attempt sympathetic replacement of columns / lanterns / etc if the street lights have been listed i.e. they are deemed worthy of inclusion on The City's Local List of Heritage Assets.
Unsympathetic replacements - the background
4th June 2014 - message from RHS's Secretary (Rob Stephenson) to ward councillor (Peter West) and senior planning officer (Tim Jefferies) from Brighton and Hove City Council's Heritage Team
I enclose photos both before and after of a lamppost at the corner of Mayo and Richmond Roads, here on Round Hill.
You will see that it has been vandalised, the delightful lantern having been replaced with something more suited to a motorway.
I guess its convenient for the Council's street lighting agent to treat our heritage like this, but is it what we want? NO - in case you had any doubt.
Please may we have our nice lantern back?
Rob Stephenson
Secretary
The Round Hill Society
1. Street Lamps why we shouldn't let historic ones go
2. In The Dark Round Hill Reporter (Dec 2008)
3. Lamp Post Quiz interactive version (with answers)
4. Street lamps correspondence
How many emails does it take to save a lamp?
Similar vandalism in Queens Park
Hello Roundhill Society (Thursday 31st October 2013),
I note with admiration that you had a battle back in 2009 re the removal of Victorian cast iron lamp posts (your website)
I am currently pressing on a similar issue here in the Queens Park Conservation Area where we recently successfully stopped a listed lamp-post being removed (see above)
A check on the listing summary led to me realise that no fewer than 12 of our 18 listed lamp posts have been removed over 14 years, apparently without planning consent.
Conservation Officer Tim Jefferies (whose prompt action saved above lamp post) informs me that a survey of all B&H lamp posts has just been completed and this will be the subject of a meeting soon with the Street Lighting team.
You may also be aware of an article last week in the Argus prompted by residents in Compton Road.
This therefore would seem an opportune time to press on this issue.
Would anyone who was involved in the 2009 issue or who has an interest be prepared to meet me to swop notes? (or phone call) The more we can demonstrate this is not just a one off gripe the better chance of achieving agreement on a conservation policy.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Thanking you in anticipation
Chris Lowe
Vice Chair, Friends of the Pepperpot
