Plans to remove nine original cast-iron lampposts in Cossington Road in Canterbury has sparked a backlash from local residents and heritage experts, who describe the move “a needless act of cultural vandalism.”
The lampposts – some bearing the mark of the former H. M. Biggleston & Sons Foundry (1835–1963) are cherished features of the conservation area, complementing rows of Victorian terraced homes.
Kent County Council claims the columns have “multiple defects” and are unsafe, proposing to replace them with standard steel poles fitted with bolt-on embellishments to simulate heritage styling. But campaigners, led by the Canterbury Society, say the proposed replacements are aesthetic downgrades, wasteful, and undermine the area’s authentic character.
Clive Bowley, Chair of the St Peter’s Residents’ Association and lead for the Canterbury Society’s Architecture, Planning and Streetscape Group said ‘I find it extremely difficult to understand how a massive cast iron casting can have failed a structural test. These could easily be repaired and redecorated. Taking them away and replacing them with fake heritage lampposts would be a shocking waste of public money. Brighton Council are currently in the process of restoring their original Victorian lamp standards along the seafront at Madeira Drive. Why is Canterbury falling behind?’
Campaigners argue that the threat to Canterbury’s historic lampposts is not just about safety – it’s about long-term neglect and missed opportunities.
In Lady Wootton’s Green, where similar Biggleston columns still stand, residents recently paid out of pocket to have their lampposts professionally repainted at a cost of just £184 each. “A modest sum,” one resident noted, “to protect something irreplaceable.”
In contrast, KCC’s replacement approach is purportedly to cost over £4,000 per column – more than twenty times the cost of simple refurbishment, and even the generic ‘off-the-shelf’ post with an embellishment kit would cost over £1,200.
Campaigners are now calling on CCC and KCC to:
- Pause further removals of original lampposts
- Work collaboratively on a properly costed refurbishment plan
- Accelerate adoption of a detailed city-wide Public Realm Design Code
- Embed clear heritage standards in all infrastructure projects
