A History of Street Lighting in Old Chiswick
15 May 2015
The current lighting in Chiswick Mall and Church Street shows a continuation of style since
street lighting was introduced here at least by the 1880s1. It is, therefore, of considerable
significance and contributes enormously to the sense of place of the conservation area.
Gas lighting
The original streetlights were substantial, octagonal2, cast-iron columns with four-pane,
lanterns lit by gas. There were not many of them along the Mall, in Church Street and in
Chiswick Lane but their appearance can be seen in many of the photographs of the area
from 1900 through the twenties3 until 19364. They virtually all appear to be painted a pale
colour, sometimes with a dark base (cream with a green base was usual over this time).
The colour temperature of these gas lamps would have been around 2900° K5 giving a
warm white light.
Electric lighting
A single photograph6 outside Strawberry House of c.1937 appears to show two columns
near one another, one a new electric light and one the remains of a dismantled gas light.
This is the date when many streets were being electrified. From the copy of the
photograph it is very difficult to determine the type of new cast-iron column installed; it
could be a REVO ‘Hull’7, named after the city of Hull. This identification is supported by a
photograph of Church Street in 1947, where the streetlight outside the Post Office is more
definitely a REVO Hull8.
These dark-painted electric lights had swan necks. At the time, these were widely
considered to be more aesthetic than continuing with four-pane lanterns. The swan necks
also appear to have had a degree of longevity: photographs of the Mall show them in later
decades; one photograph of Church Street dated July 1961 shows a swan-neck light in
place by Lamb Cottage9. Are these the original 1937 streetlights?
In the 1937 and 1947 photograph, the pendant glass ‘luminaires’ appear to be of the type
known as ‘open reflectors’10. These are flat bottomed and a photograph from 1952 shows
a luminaire on Chiswick Mall with a very similar flat silhouette; perhaps it is even the
original 1937 fitting. The original light source would have been 200 watt tungsten filament
bulbs11 giving a warm white light of 2,700–3,300°K.
Current street lighting
It would appear most of the current lamp columns and the lights date from c.1989/90. It
seems the wiring had become unreliable and so the lighting was replaced12. The OCPS
were involved in the choice of the replacements, deciding to emulate the earlier streetlights
rather than advocating a modern design. ‘Oxford’ columns painted black were selected,
which were very similar in mass and detail to the 1937 REVO Hulls that they replaced.
These columns (a copy of a 1930s design13) were made by DW Windsor, who still make
them. At this date OCPS argued against an increase in the number of lights in the area as
the Council had argued. Except for installation of the streetlight on the traffic island at the
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foot of Chiswick Lane, it is not clear if others were added. There are now eleven
streetlights along the Mall, and five up Church Street.
It is not yet clear exactly what was the light source of these replacement lights. Sadly, over
the past few years it has been noticeable that this light source has been changed from one
giving a soft white light (probably high-pressure mercury – MBF/U lamps) to one giving a
much more pink/orange light (probably high pressure sodium – HPS lamps)14. These latter
have a colour temperature of 1900-2800°K (some way below tungsten) and have poor
colour rendering properties.
Chiswick Mall
The replacement streetlights here were given swan-neck fittings but with enclosed glass
pendant luminaires, emulating what was there before. In fact in recent years one
‘Oxford’ column (opposite Cygnet House) and the swan-neck pendants here, outside
Walpole House and outside Lingard House, have had to be replaced because of
damage15. The extra-tall streetlight on the traffic island at the foot of Chiswick Lane was
given a four-pane lantern.
The unusual boxes at the tops of the columns in Chiswick Mall are fuse boxes16, since
electrification is housed there instead of in the base of the column as normal, because
of the flooding at high tides.
However, not all the streetlights on the Mall are recent replacements. There are in fact
four older lamp columns on the west end of the Mall17. These are REVO Hulls: they
were manufactured until the 1960s18 but are these in fact original 1937 columns?19 If so,
they are now rare in situ20 and could be considered for listing.
Church Street
The 1989/90 replacement columns were given reproduction four-pane lanterns harking
back to the original gas lights. They are of a type called ‘Windsor’, DW Windsor being
one of a number of manufacturers who still make them21.
Chiswick Lane South and Netheravon Road South
Early photographs of Chiswick Lane South show lampposts with four-pane lanterns.
Sadly, some time over the last few decades, all trace of 'heritage' lighting was lost
from these streets. This meant that, by decree, Hounslow Highways on behalf of LBH
recently changed all the lighting here to tall, thin, steel columns with plain slim bases
and Stela LED lights.
Janey Cronyn MSc ACR FRSA FIIC
6 Eyot Green
London W4 2PT
[email protected]
Member Executive Committee, OCPS
2
Example of a Mall streetlight
Detail of a REVO Hull base
Example of a Church Street light
Detail of an Oxford type base Modern light outside Fullers
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1
The earliest photograph/image of street lighting in Old Chiswick yet found is dated to the
1880s. In: Hammond, Caroline & Peter (1994) Chiswick Old Photographs Series, Bath:
Alan Sutton, p. 22.
2
Simon Cornwell, the street-lighting enthusiast
http://www.simoncornwell.com/lighting/home.htm
very kindly supplied this information and - much of the rest of the dating evidence for this
paper in email exchanges with Janey Cronyn ([email protected]) between March-May
2015.
3
Photographs with gas streetlights can be seen at Chiswick Local Studies Library but also
reproduced in various publications, e.g.
Nissen, Alice (2013) Past Images of Chiswick Mall and its neighbourhood (68 pages)
(available from Alice Nissen for £25 + £2.70 postage: [email protected].
Hammond, Caroline & Peter (1994) Chiswick Pocket Images of England, Stroud: Nonsuch.
Hammond, Caroline & Peter (2003) Chiswick Stroud: Tempus.
Hammond, Caroline & Peter (2010) Chiswick Through Time Chalford: Amberley Publishing.
4
Country Life Vol.LXXIX No.2038. Saturday February 8th. 1936. p.144, Plate 5. Strawberry
House.
5
braun-lighting.com
6
Sadly only a photocopy of this in is the Chiswick Local Studies Library. A poor quality
printed copy can also be seen in Loobey (1997) op.cit.
7
Cornwell pers .comm.
8
Photograph dateable to before 1947 at Chiswick Local Studies Library
9
Photograph dated to 1961 at Chiswick Local Studies Library
10
More research is being undertaken to identify the light source in these early swan-neck
luminaries.
11
Cornwell pers. comm.
12
This date is suggested both by the OCPS Minutes (which imply replacement lights are
about to be installed) and by Cornwell pers.comm.
13
Cornwell pers. comm.
14
Cornwell pers. comm.
15
See OCPS Minutes.
http://www.dwwindsor.com/products/brackets/swan+neck+standard+-+top+entry
http://www.dwwindsor.com/products/traditional+lighting/strand+a+and+a+plus
‘These later luminaires are different from the earlier ones in that they use a reflector for
light control (dated from late 1990s onwards) as against a dome refractor for light control
(dated from the 1980s-1990s)’ – Cornwell pers.comm. The more recent fuse boxes are
smaller and the swan necks have little finial crests, which the earlier ones do not.
16
The fuse boxes on the columns outside Longmeadow and Walpole House are ‘AC Ford
high-level termination fuse boxes’ - Cornwell pers.comm.
17
The three on the river-side at the west end of the Mall, and the one outside Woodroffe
House.
18
http://www.simoncornwell.com/lighting/manufact/index.htm
19
Cornwell pers.comm: ‘The fuse-box (on the light opposite The Old Vicarage) is REVO
C5329s, and the bracket is also REVO, judging by its finial. But the luminaire is fairly
modern’.
20
Cornwell pers. comm.
21
http://www.dwwindsor.com/products/traditional+lighting/windsor
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