Gas Lamp Outside Nos 12 And 14

The gas lamp located outside Nos. 12 and 14 Millington Road in Cambridge was erected by the Cambridge University and Town Gas Light Company around 1889.

This street lamp 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 upon an octagonal plinth. The shaft tapers slightly before flaring out to form a plain banded capital. Atop the shaft is a simple four-sided lantern made of metal and glass, which is supported by four curved metal brackets and topped with a spike finial. A ladder-rest extends from the base of the lantern.

Gas lighting 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, which 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 supplied with gas shortly thereafter. The gas lamps remain in use today.

This gas lamp post is designated for its architectural and historic interest as a finely-detailed 19th-century example and is notable for still being lit by gas. It also holds group value as part of a collection of ten other similar gas lamp posts of the same date and design along Millington Road.