Campaigners oppose plans to replace Canterbury’s Victorian cast-iron lampposts

Independent.co reports campaigners say Kent County Council plans to replace approximately 270 nineteenth-century cast-iron lampposts in Canterbury with generic steel posts. Ptolemy Dean, president of the Canterbury Society, said the posts could be "chucked" and replaced by "a standard off-the-peg steel post" that is "banal and ugly." Campaigners note Canterbury is among the few places, alongside the City of Westminster and Edinburgh, to retain a full set of bespoke nineteenth-century cast-iron streetlamps.

Guy Mayhew, campaign coordinator and co-chair of the Canterbury Society, said gradual removal has not been driven by a clear heritage strategy, that decisions have drifted between Kent County Council (which maintains street lighting) and Canterbury City Council (responsible for conservation), and that repainting and refurbishment are relatively low-cost; more than 750 residents have signed a petition expressing concern.

A Kent County Council spokesperson said the works are proposed and have not yet started, that the council has been working with Canterbury City Council and that the Canterbury Society has not contacted them. KCC said recent safety inspections revealed internal corrosion and other defects at the base of the cast-iron columns, that painting would not address underground damage, and that the original foundry and moulds no longer exist.

Key Topics

Culture, Canterbury, Kent County Council, Canterbury Society, Ptolemy Dean, Guy Mayhew