Shining a light on historic lighting

Traditional style lamp posts have been installed in a series of New Town streets – by the same company who first supplied lighting for area over one hundred years ago.

As the modern concrete lamp posts in Clarendon Crescent, Eton Terrace, Lennox Street and Oxford Terrace were cracked and in need of replacement, local residents decided to investigate a more sympathetic historical style of street lighting.

Research in archives such as RCAHMS (Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Scotland) revealed photographs of the area with examples of cast-iron lamp posts, which gave good evidence of the sort of designs used in those streets in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

More importantly though, the company that installed the original  lamp posts around 1900 still exists – Sugg Lighting Ltd. Established in 1837, Sugg supplied gas lamps all over the country, including lighting for Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace.

In his 1879 Dictionary of London, Charles Dickens refers to “GAS BURNERS - The argand and fishtail burners, made by Sugg, of Westminster, and supplied by all respectable gasfitters, are unquestionably the best.”

Clarendon Crescent c.1900

As local resident Ian Cook describes “We discussed the poor condition of the existing concrete lamp standards and considered various alternative replacements ranging from modern glass spheres to the period standards used in 1900. This was considered to be the most acceptable. Installation was carried out most expeditiously over the Christmas period and has met with general acclamation from the residents, both from the increased illumination and the general appearance of the standards.”

Steve Francey, Lighting Design Officer for the City of Edinburgh Council said: “The new lighting has been designed around a old style of lighting standard but does include modern technology for a quality light output and electronic gear for optimum energy consumption. The general streetscape has been improved also by reducing the amount of signs around the area which was achieved by mounting these onto the railings. There were many complications to overcome such as cellars which reduce the planting depth for the columns but crucially we now have a system of lighting which not only pleases all the residents but can now withstand the rigours of the modern day urban environment.”

The project follows a growing trend for replacing basic concrete lamp posts with more sympathetic styles for the World Heritage Site. In 2007 Edinburgh World Heritage, the City of Edinburgh Council and the residents of Lynedoch Place joined forces to install traditional railing-mounted street lamps.

EWH and the City of Edinburgh Council are continuing to look at the potential for historic lighting reinstatement in the New Town.