Electric Transformer Pillar

66/0/10059 THE GLADE 14-DEC-10 Kingswood ELECTRIC TRANSFORMER PILLAR

II Transformer pillar with streetlight, c1914 with late C20 lamps.

Constructed of cast-iron, the pillar is circular in plan, approximately 1m in diameter, and 2.5m in height. Ribs split the face of the pillar vertically into panels, and horizontally into three reducing stages. The lower two stages each have two pairs of doors on opposite sides, and the top stage has a decorative panelled frieze. Above is an egg and dart cornice and a shallow conical top. A decorative lamp column rises from the centre. The top part of the column splits to form a T-shape and a lamp is held on either end of the cross bar; this top section is a later replacement of the original lamp. A panel on one of the lower doors gives the name of the maker: British Electric Transformer Company, Hayes, Middlesex.

HISTORY: The Glade and the adjoining roads were being developed from 1914 onwards. The transformer pillar was installed under The Banstead, Walton on the Hill & District Electrical Lighting Order 1914, which provided electricity to certain named streets in the area, including The Glade. The installation was undertaken by Gilbert Allom, Electrical Engineer, who acted as a private undertaker for the generation and supply of electricity for all public and private purposes in Banstead Parish.

SOURCES: English Heritage Monuments Protection Programme Step Report, Electric Power Generation, Steps 1 and 3 (1994)

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The early C20 electricity transformer pillar at The Glade, Banstead, Surrey, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Design interest: the transformer pillars produced by the British Electric Transformer Company are handsome pieces of industrial design. * Historic interest: this in-situ example survives from the early period of mass electricity supply, which was to have a revolutionary effect on British domestic life.