Gas Lamp Post Outside No. 20

The gas lamp post outside No. 20 Millington Road in Cambridge was erected by the Cambridge University and Town Gas Light Company around 1889. Made of cast iron, the lamp features a design loosely inspired by classical columns, with a fluted shaft that stands on a circular base set on an octagonal plinth. The shaft tapers slightly before widening into 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 by John Grafton around 1822, initially using oil before transitioning to coal. Grafton's 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 arrival of North Sea gas. Millington Road was developed in 1889 on land owned by King's College and was soon supplied with gas by the Cambridge University and Town Gas Light Company. The gas lamps remain in use and continue to be supplied with gas today.

This gas lamp post is designated at Grade II due to its architectural and historic interest as a finely detailed 19th-century example and its continued use of gas lighting. It also holds group value as part of a collection of ten other similar gas lamp posts in Millington Road.