Sewer Ventilation Pipe Opposite Entrance To Torrington Lane

The sewer ventilation pipe, located opposite the entrance to Torrington Lane in Bideford, was likely constructed between 1901 and 1902. The engineer responsible for its design was Baldwin Latham from Parliament Mansions, Victoria Street, Westminster, and the contractor was E Ellis of Bideford. This tall iron pipe is designed to resemble a Classical column, featuring a pedestal, a moulded base, and an enriched capital. Halfway up the pipe, there is a moulded band that disguises a joint. Atop the capital, an ornate arrow points south to indicate the sewer line, which is surmounted by a ball with open lugs facing in all four directions. A tall finial encircled with a coronet stands on the ball. The shaft of the pipe is moulded with the heavily overpainted name of a Glasgow firm, which matches the name on an identical pipe located at the far end of Barnstaple Street. Additionally, a third pipe of this type, which lacks an inscription, can be found in Ashley Terrace, and a fourth pipe, without the coronet, is situated at the top of High Street, inscribed with "W. MACFARLANE & CO. GLASGOW." This pipe and the one at the end of Barnstaple Street likely date from the re-laying of the East-the-Water sewers during 1901-1902.