The mighty "candlestick". |
The company celebrated its achievement by the
erection of a forty foot high cast-iron column with a gas
lantern at the top. It was built in High Green in 1821.
The names of the committee responsible for its cost were
inscribed on the base. They were R. Fryer, T. Savage, T. Timmins,
T.H. Ward, J. Heape, P. Deakin and W. Parkes.
The light was a disaster. It was too high from the ground to
throw sufficient light and the structure was laughed at and
called the mighty "candlestick", which it closely resembled. By
1826 the pillar and the surrounding area had become a rendezvous
for the local layabouts and degenerates and as such had become a
public nuisance.
Some expense would be incurred for its demolition and so it
remained there until 1840 when the Commissioners and the Gas
Company approved its removal. |