Gas Lamp Post Outside Number 4

The gas lamp post outside number 4 Millington Road is a Grade II listed street lamp erected by the Cambridge University and Town Gas Light Company around 1889. Made of cast iron, the lamp features a design that is loosely based on a classical column. It has a fluted shaft that stands on a circular base, which is set on an octagonal plinth. The shaft tapers slightly before widening to form a plain banded capital. Atop the shaft is a simple four-sided lantern made of metal and glass, which is crowned with a spike finial and supported by four curved metal brackets. A ladder-rest projects from the base of the lantern.

Gas was first introduced to Cambridge by John Grafton around 1822, initially using oil for street lighting before switching to coal. His company became the Cambridge Gas-Light Company in 1834 and later the Cambridge University and Town Gas Light Company in 1867. Gas production at the riverside site ceased in 1969 when North Sea gas was introduced to the city. 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 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 example of a finely-detailed 19th-century gas lamp post that is still lit by gas. It also has group value, as it is part of a collection of ten other listable gas lamp posts of the same date and design in Millington Road.