The Gordon Lamp

The Gordon Lamp is a lamp post located on Lansdown Road in Cheltenham, built in 1887 for gas and adapted for electricity between 1899 and 1900. It was funded by the residents of Montpellier in 1885, who wanted to enhance the area and create a memorial to General Gordon, with a commemorative tablet added in 1933 by the Scottish Society. The granite base was supplied by Fraser and Son of Aberdeen at a cost of £200.

The lamp post features a polished grey granite octagonal and moulded plinth, along with a red granite drum that has incised pilasters and white marble Corinthian capitals. The main structure is a tall fluted iron shaft supported by three putti holding torches, decorated with lotus and other motifs. The capital is topped with three branches that have enriched scrolled filling and pendant lamps, along with additional scrolled decorations forming finials. The tablet on the lamp post notes: "In memory of Major-General Charles George Gordon CBRE 1833-1885."

This lamp post is an outstanding example of late 19th-century street furniture.