Gas Lamp Post Between Numbers 1 And 3

The gas lamp post located between numbers 1 and 3 Millington Road is a Grade II listed structure, erected around 1889 by the Cambridge University and Town Gas Light Company.

This lamp post is made of cast iron and features a design that is loosely inspired by classical columns. It has a fluted shaft that stands on a circular base, which is set on an octagonal plinth. The shaft tapers slightly before flaring out to form a plain banded capital. Atop the shaft sits a simple four-sided lantern made of metal and glass, which is adorned with a spike finial and supported by four curved metal brackets. A ladder-rest extends from the base of the lantern.

Historically, gas was first introduced to Cambridge around 1822 by John Grafton, who initially produced gas from oil before switching to coal. His company evolved into the Cambridge Gas-Light Company in 1834 and later became the Cambridge University and Town Gas Light Company in 1867. Gas production at the riverside site ceased in 1969 with the advent of North Sea gas. Millington Road was developed on land owned by King's College in 1889 and was soon supplied with gas by the Cambridge University and Town Gas Light Company. The gas lamps on this road continue to be supplied with gas and are still in use today.

This gas lamp post is designated for its architectural and historic interest as an unusual and finely-detailed 19th-century example. It remains lit by gas and has group value as part of a collection of ten other similar gas lamp posts from the same period and design in Millington Road.