Event    From 28/1/1807 

first gas-lit street in the world

Categories: Engineering, Transport

The first public street lighting with gas was demonstrated in Pall Mall by Frederick Winsor in 1807. In January he lit the street and in June he put on a special gas-lit exhibition here, celebrating King George III's birthday. Lighting streets using gas quickly became very popular and there were once more than 60,000 gas lamps in London. Although most have been converted to electricity, there are still about 1,600 remaining, mainly on landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. The Picture Source website gives a good history of gas street lighting.

Some lamps were lit by gas from sewers and one of these, in Carting Lane, still works. IanVisits has a good post on it.

Other firsts: IanVisits has a post about the first shopping street in the UK to be lit by electricity. And the Savoy Theatre was the first public building in the world to be lit throughout by electricity.

Londonist has a terrific post about early electric lighting events in London.

2022: Londonist report that these lamps are under threat: Save London's Gas Lamps: Campaign Grows To Keep Our Heritage Glowing.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
first gas-lit street in the world

Commemorated ati

First gas-lit street

City of Westminster Pall Mall. The first street in London to be lit by gas, ...

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Frederick Winsor

Plaque unveiled by Councillor Carolyn Keen, Lord Mayor of Westminster. At the...

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Other Subjects

Scott and Wilson

Scott and Wilson

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1 memorial
World's first cash machine

World's first cash machine

In spite of the plaque's claim, there is evidence of a cash dispensing machine being used in Tokyo in 1966. The invention of the British version has been credited to John Shepherd-Barron of the pri...

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Gustavus Loehr

Gustavus Loehr

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1 memorial
C. W. Glover & Partners

C. W. Glover & Partners

Consulting Engineers based in SW1, active in 1969.

Group, Engineering

1 memorial
Edmund Cooper

Edmund Cooper

Resident Engineer responsible for the construction of the Northern Outfall Sewer in 1862-3. Also co-designer of Abbey Mills pumping station.

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Islington Council

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Transport Trust

Transport Trust

The Transport Trust is a charitable institution that aims to increase and channel support for transport preservation, acting as the hub of the transport preservation movement. More about their pla...

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Mary Hutchinson

Mary Hutchinson

Short-story writer, socialite, model (for painters) and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Born as Mary Barnes in British India. Brought up in Italy and moved to London in 1909. Married barrister S...

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31 (City of London) Signal Regiment

31 (City of London) Signal Regiment

A Territorial Army regiment in the Royal Corps of Signals. It was formed to provide Strategic Communications to a NATO Headquarters.

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1 memorial
Martin Sugarman

Martin Sugarman

Chair Hackney-Haifa Twinning Association and co-chair, with councillor Linda Kelly, of the Britain and Israel Olympic Plaque Committee. In 2021 Sugarman was working with the Association of Jewish ...

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