Number 3 Sewer Ventilation Column on the railway bridge on Boundary Road

Number 3 Sewer Ventilation Column on the railway bridge on Boundary Road is a sewer ventilation column built between 1896 and 1903 by W Macfarlane & Co for a sewerage scheme designed by Baldwin Latham. It is one of about 28 remaining in Carshalton.

The column is made of cast iron and stands approximately 9 meters high. It is designed to resemble a Classical column, featuring a pedestal, a moulded base, and an enriched capital. The structure consists of two conjoined lengths of pipe connected by a flanged joint. Atop the capital is a ball-shaped ventilation apparatus with four vents, although two of the vents are missing. Above this apparatus is a tall finial and coronet. Attached to the coronet is a decorative arrow, which is believed to either orient the vent into the wind or indicate the line of the sewer. The column also bears a visible manufacturer’s stamp that reads ‘W MACFARLANE & CO, GLASGOW’.