Event    From 28/1/1807 

first gas-lit street in the world

Categories: Engineering, Transport

The first public street lighting with gas was demonstrated in Pall Mall by Frederick Winsor in 1807. In January he lit the street and in June he put on a special gas-lit exhibition here, celebrating King George III's birthday. Lighting streets using gas quickly became very popular and there were once more than 60,000 gas lamps in London. Although most have been converted to electricity, there are still about 1,600 remaining, mainly on landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey. The Picture Source website gives a good history of gas street lighting.

Some lamps were lit by gas from sewers and one of these, in Carting Lane, still works. IanVisits has a good post on it.

Other firsts: IanVisits has a post about the first shopping street in the UK to be lit by electricity. And the Savoy Theatre was the first public building in the world to be lit throughout by electricity.

Londonist has a terrific post about early electric lighting events in London.

2022: Londonist report that these lamps are under threat: Save London's Gas Lamps: Campaign Grows To Keep Our Heritage Glowing.

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
first gas-lit street in the world

Commemorated ati

First gas-lit street

City of Westminster Pall Mall. The first street in London to be lit by gas, ...

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Frederick Winsor

Plaque unveiled by Councillor Carolyn Keen, Lord Mayor of Westminster. At the...

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Other Subjects

Tom Bates

Tom Bates

Assistant to Frederick Bremer. He helped build the first British motor car with an internal combustion engine.

Person, Engineering

1 memorial
Kingschoole sluice

Kingschoole sluice

"Kingschoole" refers to the passage of the Tyburn river through the grounds of Westminster School.  'Sluice' refers to an artificial water channel controlled at its head by a gate.  And there is in...

Building, Engineering

1 memorial
C. S. Bainbridge

C. S. Bainbridge

MPGB, FRICS, MIMunL., Borough Engineer & Surveyor. Andrew Behan researched Bainbridge: Clement Spencer Bainbridge was born on 15 November 1896 in Askern, Doncaster, Yorkshire, the youngest of ...

Person, Engineering

1 memorial
Thomas Telford

Thomas Telford

Stonemason, architect and civil engineer. Born Eskdale, Dumfriesshire. Aged 12 left school to work for a local stonemason. Aged 25 rode on horseback to London. Built roads, bridges and canals. Neve...

Person, Architecture, Engineering, Scotland

2 memorials