Sometimes I choose a Slow Summer outing as simply a way of making The Boy leave the house for a few hours. Hunting for London’s last remaining sewer gas lamp was one such occasion …
The Webb Patent Sewer Lamp was invented in the 19th Century as a way of drawing off smells from underground sewers and London’s last remaining lamp can be found in Carting Lane off the Strand. Its hollow design allows sewer gases to be vented from underground, operating day and night.
While the original lamp was almost destroyed some time ago by a reversing lorry, it has since been restored.
Fun fact: Over the years, the lane has been nicknamed Farting Lane … 🙂
This West London Life 
This is so neat … & what a brilliant idea. It’s like the first “green” lighting system; well ahead of its time!! I can think of one place in particulate that would keep this sewer gas light burning eternally (Ottawa)(lol).
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Victorian engineers were really ahead of their time!
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How fascinating! Thank-you for bringing it to us. And so very practical as well as ornamental- we could do with more of that thinking in our towns and cities. The Victorians were really good at it …
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It’s a great idea, isn’t it – you’d think we’d have kept more of them.
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I can’t imagine why it got that nickname 😉
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Haha, that fact made The Boy laugh!
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The Victorians were very inventive in many ways.
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And built things to last.
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Yes inded.
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Lovely information, As i enjoy reading all of your article. I wanted to write a little comment to support you.
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Thank you very much.
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