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

Sir Follett Holt, KBE

Sir Follett Holt, KBE

Railway engineer, very influential in Argentina where he was Chairman of many railway companies. Excelled at polo as a young man.  First Chairman of the Tower Hill Improvement Trust. Our picture co...

Person, Engineering, Politics & Administration, Argentina

1 memorial
Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Readymoney

Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Readymoney

Companion of the Star of India, a wealthy Parsi gentleman of Bombay. His grandfather and two great-uncles had made their names, literally, in the opium trade with China (facilitated by the British)...

Person, Engineering, Philanthropy, Politics & Administration, India

2 memorials
Paddington Station centenary

Paddington Station centenary

London terminus for Great Western Railways since 1838. The current station was designed by Brunel in 1854. The underground arrived in 1863 and Paddington was the original western terminus for the...

Event, Engineering

1 memorial
Urban Hanlon Broughton

Urban Hanlon Broughton

Engineer who married money and then made lots more.  Born England. Studied civil engineering and gained expertise in the Shone sewer system which took him to Massachusetts to manage its installatio...

Person, Engineering, Politics & Administration, USA

2 memorials
Nine Elms Motive Power

Nine Elms Motive Power

This depot was responsible for the locomotives working out of Waterloo. Locomotive, carriage and wagon workshops were built in 1839 in Vauxhall at the end of Nine Elms Lane. Rebuilt following an 18...

Group, Engineering, Transport

2 memorials