ELECTRIC STREET LIGHTING IN EASTBOURNE (PART 2)

 

-THE 1920s-

 

In March 1920 the arc lamp at Elliots Corner was re-lit following a request from the Watch Committee and not quite a year later saw all the arc lamps on bus routes switched back on and the general street lighting returned to 75 percent of its total capacity.

Soon after the war it had been realised that the metal filament lamp in its larger size could be a more efficient light source than the arc lamps with all their necessary maintenance and it was decided to replace the arc lamp mechanisms with a filament lamp and lampholder within the arc lamp casings. At the same time it seems the glass cylindrical globe was changed for a clear glass bowl. Although the lamps were still referred to as 'arcs' it is likely that the practice of lighting the arcs periodically during the day time in the early part of the war, to keep them in readiness, was the last time the proper arcs were actually used and by the time the bus routes mentioned above were relit, it was the filament conversions that were in use.

More letters requesting lighting to be switched back on were always being received and in November of 1922 the street lighting was increased to 87.5% of its original level.

January 1923 was a busy time for the Electrical Dept. putting back into service and converting as many lamps as they could. Rather than convert the existing gas lanterns as before, some of which were showing their age, a new policy was decided on of replacing the lantern with a cast iron swan neck bracket complete with switch and new electric lantern fitted to the existing post. In new streets or extensions these lamps were fitted to the newer design of post. The lanterns had a cast iron circular top that was threaded in the middle to accept the adaptor casting fitted to the swan neck, a vitreous enamelled circular reflector and a clear 'acorn' shaped glass globe. The switch was usually fitted to the base of the swan neck where it could be operated by a wooden pole. 150 of these lamps and swan necks were ordered from the Cable Accessories Co. for 32s 2d each. They were hence known as 'CA' fittings.

In June the Electrical Engineer reported that 243 lamps had been converted from gas to electricity and 911 small 106 large (the old arcs) electric lamps were in use. 285 gas lamps remained to be converted including 77 of which had existing clock controllers. All of these lamps needed less than 50 yards of cable to reach them but there were others not near mains cables that had not been included.

The charges for running the old arc lamps were now £18 per year and for the small lamps £3.5s.per year.

'CA'Fitting with swan neck and switch

 

With the onset of winter the Electrical Engineer was urged to speed up the supply of fittings so that the street lighting could be returned to its full pre war level. There was some confusion as to who should order the new swan neck fittings etc for future conversions. It was decided that the Borough Surveyor should supply lamposts and fittings for new roads and the Electrical Committee would supply all others.

Preliminary enquiries were made as to the centralised switching of all 1200 electric lamps from the Roselands generating station using a system already in use at Leatherhead and Winchester. Costs would have been in the region of £8000.

In January 1924 the Electrical Engineer was asked to look into improving the decorative illuminations along Grand Parade which at the time had consisted only of pretty basic festoon lighting.

In February the Chief Constable requested the conversion of the gas lamp at the sharp bend in Melbourne Rd to electricity and also pointed out to the Lighting committee the need for lighting improvements ouside the railway station.

By the end of March 1924 there were now 105 large ( one less than last year)and 1279 small, electric streetlights in use.The number of remaining gas lamps was 346, but some of these were some distance from the electrical mains.

As mentioned previously, the large 300W incandescent lamps, which by now, like modern lamps had a tungsten filament and were filled with an inert gas to reduce evaporation of the filament, had been fitted into the casings of the old carbon arc lamps and these casings were showing some serious corrosion and needed renewing. In June Brydges reported this to the Lighting Committee and asked to order 105 replacements. The replacement was to be the new GEC 'Wembley' lantern. It was made of copper and was fitted with a reflector and a prismatic refractor ring around the bulb to bend the light and redirect it up and down the road. The lamp and refractor were enclosed in a clear glass bowl and they did not look a lot different to the final form of the lamps they replaced. They also looked similiar to a particular type of gas lamp usually used on railway stations.

 

GEC Wembley Lantern

Although these fittings did not resemble the traditional idea of a lantern, ie a 4 or 6 sided 'box' type of construction they still fitted the dictionary lantern definition of 'a transparent enclosure for a light source'. A 'lamp' could also describe the bulb or light source and 'fitting' could really mean anything, so before the foreign 'luminaire' came into use, the actual lamp or bulb enclosure was called a lantern. To this day, streetlight fittings whatever they look like are often still called 'lanterns'.

 

Thirty three of these lanterns were ordered at once to replace the worst corroded fittings which were those along the seafront parades that had been most exposed to the salt spray. The cost at the time was £4.10s each.

In December a further order for 100 'CA' swan necks and lanterns was placed for further conversions and for fitting to new posts. The Lighting Committee was active on inspections and making recommendations on additions and alterations to the lighting of many roads now that full street lighting had been restored. Four lamps near the Wish Tower that had still not been re-lit were switched on on April 1925, six and a half years after the end of the war.

During the spring the Institute of Public Lighting Engineers wrote to the Council inviting delegates to attend their conference in Brighton in September and suggesting the 'Officer in charge of public lighting' (J.K.Brydges, still the Electrical Engineer) should join the instititution.For some reason this suggestion was not entertained by the Council.

In October following a request from the Cheif Constable the lighting of the area of Seaside from the Kings Arms to the Archery Tavern was again highlighted. Nothing had come of the pre war suggestions and this time because of the obstuctions from the large trees in the road, a centrally supported span wire system of 8 lamps was put forward.

November saw a span wire lamp fitted at the junction of Terminus and Gildredge Rd. again in response to a police request. This fitting contained a 1500w lamp and the span wires were fitted to the walls of the railway station and a building opposite, apparently after lengthy negotiations with the railway company. It was agreed that this type of installation should be extended in respect of four lamps in Gildredge Rd where overhanging trees were a problem. The Electrical Engineer was also asked to consider centrally lighting The Avenue. The Avenue scheme consisted of 6 centrally suspended 200W lamps and this and the Gildredge Rd and Seaside schemes were duly installed. In the Gildredge Rd scheme however two of the lamps were supported on tramway poles with bracket arms, rather than being hung from span wires. Presumably tramway poles were used because they were readily available. It would have been expensive to have new tall cast iron columns cast and not many designs of tall purpose built steel lighting columns were yet available. The centrally suspended lamp at the station was reduced in size to 1000W and a 500W lamp placed in a fitting near the Gildredge Hotel. The tall overhead suspension system of lighting was well received by the bus drivers and the Motor Omnibus Committee of the Council requested that this system should be extended to all bus routes in the town.

In March of 1926 Hampden Park had 62 street lights and 11 of these burnt all night, again at a police request these were all altered to all night lighting.

During April the lighting of the bus route from the Town Centre to Old Town, comprising of The Goffs, High St and Church St was scrutinised. The lighting consisted of 7 x 100W and 15 x 60W lamps in the old gas lanterns and one remaining gas light, all on the short 10 foot columns.A scheme was proposed again using overhead suspended Wembley lanterns with 300w gas filled lamps, 16 of which would be hung from tramway poles and brackets and 2 hung from wires strung between buildings.

However the General Strike commenced on May 3rd and by June in accordance with the Government Emergency Order and Home Office instructions to conserve coal, Eastbourne was plunged into darkness again with 1,150 street lamps being put out of use. The Chief Constable gave authority where certain lamps could remain alight for public safety reasons. As by this time nearly all the streetlights were converted and less coal was required for the same illumination levels if it were used to generate electricity rather than produce gas, the coal savings by switching off the lamps were not great and during July they were allowe to be re-lit.

In Upperton Rd a main thoroughfare between the Town Centre and Ocklynge a lighting scheme had been carried out that was to prove quite a success.. An installation of smaller sized Wembley lanterns fitted with 100W lamps mounted on swan neck fittings on the existing short columns had taken place.The combination of low intensity light source and controlling refractor glasses to project the light along the road proved very efficient and developments on this theme were to be carried out on other roads in Eastbourne and elsewhere in years to come. The scheme for The Goffs, High St and Church St was changed from the proposed overhead scheme to one similiar to Upperton Rd. but using 200W lamps. Southfields Rd followed with the same type of scheme in early 1927.

As the quality of the streetlighting around Town improved more residents were demanding the better lights.Letters were written to the Council regarding the lack of lighting in Park Avenue but at the time this road was still in private ownership. The Council therefore acted in persuance of the Public Health Act of 1875 and wrote to the owners requiring them to erect sufficient lamp standards in the road. Once this had been done, then as in the past the Council would light and maintain them.

It was in 1927 that the South East of England Electricity Scheme began to influence Eastbourne's strategy for electricity generation. This was the southern part of the country wide Grid scheme, whereby for reasons of economy all electricity would be produced eventually by only the newest and most up to date generating stations and this power would be transmitted across the countryside on the now common high voltage transmission pylons. In the meantime the existing power stations would share the supply of electricity to the areas by buying and selling power to the Grid as required in a complicated commercial process. Although this was not to have any direct effect on Eastbournes lighting, in the following years it was to keep the Electrical Dept busy laying new three phase ring mains and altering and adapting equipment. It was also eventually to influence the loss of the Councils directly employed electrical workforce as the Local Electricity Boards were formed under Nationalisation after the war. However the Roselands power station was to continue generating on a more or less part time basis for another 40 years or so.

During these inter- war years Eastbourne was flourishing as a seaside resort and the Council were aware that other resorts had better seafront illuminations to attract visitors. Festoon lighting consisting of plain lightbulbs fitted every yard or thereabouts on special cabling was illuminated on the Grand Parade in the summer months and the Wembley Lights on the old arc lamp posts served both as street and flower garden lighting all year round. The use of large wattage tungsten lamps in floodlight fittings was in vogue at other resorts and this type of scheme was being looked at by the Council. The decorative lighting of the seafront was overseen by another Council Committee- the Entertainments and Pleasure Grounds Committee.

The first improvements to the Parade lighting was to see 23 new octagonal cast iron lamp posts erected on the seaward side of the paving in Grand Parade between the Pier and the Wish Tower. The position of these would also enable lighting of the Lower Parade. These posts were made in Worcester by Hardy & Padmore and were each fitted with three rings containing coloured light bulbs, the rings increasing in diameter and the number of bulbs contained from top to bottom. The lantern fitted to these posts was of the Paisley type made by Revo, with a large frosted opal pear shaped globe containing a 200w lamp.Mounting height was approx 16 foot. Five further Paisleys were fitted to the old gas lamp posts that were integral with the Carpet Garden railings on the road outside the Burlington Hotel although being existing posts these were of a shorter height.

 

Paisley Lantern with decorative rings

 

 

Back on the streets the Eastern part of Seaside from St Anthony's Avenue to the bus turnaround at Langney had no lighting and 3 extra lamps were installed here.It was necessary for these lamps to be erected on the North West side of the road to stay within the Borough boundary.

In April the I.P.L.E again invited delegates to their conference, this time in Sheffield, but again no delegates were sent.

In October 1928 further notices under the Public Health Act were issued requiring lamp standards to be erected in The Circus, Rotunda Road and Seaville Drive. A plan for extending the lighting in Kings Drive was initiated using 33 x 60W lamps in CA fittings but it was decided to install 17 Paisley lanterns as on the seafront instead, but only in that part of the road that was adopted.

The new Paisley fittings were obviously in favour with the Council and the Electrical Engineer was asked to report by February 1929 on the costs of removing the existing arc columns and installing Paisley lanterns and the new posts between the Pier and the Redoubt and at the Redoubt. Brydges duly reported that that part of the seafront was lit by 14 x 500w lamps in new Wembley fittings fitted to the old arc lamp columns and that installing Paisley lamps with coloured rings would not be as satisfactory as the Wembley fittings with their light controlling refractors. The Council were not to be put off however and set money aside for the improvements the following year.

Another 28 Paisleys and new columns had been installed on the middle level parade between the Wish Tower and Holywell and these were switched on early in 1929. Four more Paisley lamps and new posts were approved and were to be erected between the Lifeboat House and the West side of the Wish Tower. In March the colour of the light bulbs in the Paisleys lamp posts rings was decided as Pearl frosted for the top and Amber for the lower two, there were 36 x 40W lamps altogether in the rings.

Following the money being set aside 27 new columns, Paisley lamps and decorative rings were installed along the sea wall between the Pier and the Redoubt by May, but not without some difficulty ( the sea wall near Splash Point would not have been the ideal place to work in the winter!). Another 14 Paisleys had been fitted on the old gas lamp posts on the road side of Grand Parade between the Burlington Hotel and the Wish Tower, the gas lamps having by now been removed and replaced by flower baskets for some years. As these new installations were completed the Wembley lights on the arc columns were switched off, but not immediately removed as originally proposed.

Obviously the new lighting was considered a success and as soon as the holiday season was over further additions were planned and approved as follows:-

In the town it was accepted that the increasing traffic levels and speed required better lighting and it was agreed that all 60W lamps would be replaced with 100W ones as they burnt out. A large number of the the old converted gas lanterns still remained and they were only being changed to the CA fittings as they corroded or were damaged. On bus routes it was agreed to upgrade the lighting by installing the smaller Wembley fittings as in Upperton Rd and to replace 108 converted gas lanterns and 40 CA fittings with Wembleys was to cost £465.

Willingdon Rd, the approach road from London was also improved and 26 small Wembley fittings were installed between Eldon Rd and Park Avenue, including 17 new columns between the top of the Hill and Park Avenue.

 

-THE 1930s-

 

In February 1930 the Council decided to remove all the seafront arc lamp columns and the Watch Committee were asked if they were required for the new Seaside Parking Station. They were not needed so the lamps stayed in situ.

In September letters were received from Her Majesty's Coroner following an inquest into a death following an accident and the lighting in the Terminus Buildings area was badly criticised. The Council accepted this was the case and agreed to set about arranging improvements. In October at the request of the Chief Constable two of the large Wembleys on the arc lamp posts in Grand Parade were relighted.

In this year J.K. Brydges and the Chairman of the Lighting Committee had attended the Association of Public Lighting Engineers conference at Leicester and reported back to the committee, the main issues discussed being the problems of mounting heights and spacings of columns when trying to use new light sources on existing installations, all concerns that would be taken on board by Eastbourne in the coming years. Eastbourne was more advanced than many other towns and cities though, because at that time it was estimated that only one third of the the Country's street lighting was electric, whereas in Eastbourne by this time few gas lamps remained.

Three more Paisleys were erected on the west side of the Wish Tower and 12 more Paisley posts leading up to the Grand Hotel had decorative rings added in January and February of 1931. Initially all the Paisley posts had the rings fitted with the smallest ring at the top and largest at the bottom although in later years this was to be reversed on altermate columns. In January a final decision on the old arc lamp columns was made. Rather than remove them, they were all to be fitted with an ornamental double bracket supporting two 'Worthing' type large ornamental six sided lanterns, the exceptions being one lamp on the hill at the Wish Tower and one at the Redoubt that were to retain their Wembley fittings. The ventilating columns near the bandstand retained their half round brackets and each had one Worthing fitted. The practice of naming lanterns after the town of their first use was not uncommon at the time and in coming years Eastbourne was to have its own named design of flourescent lantern. As this effectively meant two forms of lighting were in use, especially in Royal and Marine Parades where the combined width of the road and parade were narrow, where the Worthings were fitted it was planned to switch off the Paisleys at 11 pm. Furthermore each of the Worthing lamps was switched seperately, one lantern contained a 500W 'flesh' coloured lamp to be used in the summer and one contained a 500W normal lamp to use in the winter.

 

Worthing lanterns and new double bracket fitted to old arc columns.

 

The Lighting Committee were continually inspecting areas of poor lighting in the town and areas causing particular concern at this time were , the Leaf Hall, junction of Silverdale Rd and Compton St., the railway station, Splash Point and Willoughby Crescent.

By April 1931 the last portion of the town supplied from the the Roselands power station was switched over to the Grid system via the new transforming station in Churchdale Rd. and the works became effectively redundant. The plan at this time was that the works would continue to generate power to supplement the Grid all the time no major investments or repairs were needed and it was envisaged this would be 10 years or so. In fact due to the second world war and the desparate need for power at the time and the need for winter back up supplies in following years the plant was not to see final closure until 1968.

During the summer of 1931 various schemes were considered to floodlight the Technical Institute and Towner Art Gallery to celebrate the Farady Centenary. The Grand Hotel and Technical Insitute had been floodlit previously on the occasion of The Incorporated Municipal Electrical Associations conference at Eastbourne and a similiar scheme was under consideration. Just as it seemed the Council had made its decision The General Electric Co. thinking that Eastbourne was not doing its bit to join in the celebrations, offered to carry out the floodlighting free of charge. The Council obviously had no hesitation in accepting the offer!.

In December it was agreed to budget for 6 Paisleys and new columns to be erected in Carlisle Rd from the Winter Gardens to the seafront. To make savings to pay for its recent outgoings, the Lighting Committee decided that between The Redoubt and Silverdale Rd all the Paisleys along the seafront would be turned off for the winter, leaving the Worthings burning all night as the sole illumination. In January a Paisley lamp near the pier was fitted with a clear globe and pearl lamp as a trial.

In February the plan for the 6 paisleys in Carlisle Rd was finalised, each Paisley and its rings was to be seperately hand switched and the rings were to be smaller than on the parade columns. The following weeks saw extra lamps added to Kings Drive between Prideaux Rd and Kings Avenue as the building works continued in that area. Various extra lamps and columns were added around the town.

Over a number of years the Electricity Dept had been laying mains and erecting overhead line routes in order to enlarge its area of supply to the surrounding rural areas and by July negotiations had been completed for Eastbourne to electrically light 136 street lamps in Polegate and Hailsham, the original gas lanterns to be replaced with standard street lighting brackets and fittings.

Traditionally the Borough Surveyors Dept. had looked after the gas lighting of the town and they had seen to the erection of lamp columns on new roads. They had also employed the lamplighters, some of whom had other duties such as roadsweeping during the day. During the conversion to electricity and subsequent period the street lighting workload and duties had been split between the Electrical Dept and Surveyors Dept, progressivelly leaning more to the Electrical Dept in recent years. In August this changed with the Electrical Engineer taking over all the street lighting administration workload. Staff transferred were as follows:

The Borough Surveyor was still required however to serve legal notices under The Public Health Act, where private road owners needed encouraging to erect lamp posts on their streets.

Eastbourne's planners from an early time had required that trees were planted by developers as and when new estates were laid out and this was usually considered a benefit to the town. Generally this was so but as the trees matured they frequently caused problems by blocking out light from the street lights. To overcome this sometimes additional lights were installed, sometimes the taller tramway poles and brackets were used and sometimes the trees were cut down. Towards the end of 1932 a new post was installed in Ringwood Rd and a tramway bracket scheme was planned to replace two arc lamp posts in Seaside between Belmore and Firle Rs to solve the tree problems in those areas. In St Anthonys Avenue a road widening scheme was due so it was planned to chop down the problem trees in that location.

The winter had seen the usual cutbacks in the seafront lighting and even though the Worthing lanterns now burnt with a 300W lamp in each lantern all night, the residents and hoteliers of Royal Parade were quick to complain. As a compromise the Council agreed to relight alternate Paisley lamps on the house side for the duration of the winter. The Hampden Park residents were also complaining, both at the lack of police presence and poor lighting. The Electrical Engineer looked into the condition of the streetlighting and reported that the approximate spacings of the lamps in Hampden Park was 50 yards,the spacing as adopted in the past and not the 40 yards as now required. All had 100w lamps apart from where Reason 'G' fittings were used where 2 x 60W lamps were fitted. He added that most of Eastbourne's lamps were still at the old 50 yard spacing and that Hampden Park was in a no less favourable position.. The only improvements to be looked at were in the Brodrick Rd area where a particularly dark spot existed.

Improvements in the town that were approved by the Council were as follows:

Automatic or centrally switched control of the street lighting had been considered for many years and it was realised that this would ultimately become a necessity. In February Brydges submitted a report on time switch controlling of those lamps lit by the part time lamplighters. Of the 2.392 lamps in use only 180 were controlled by existing time switches. Brydges proposal was to purchase 670 time switches to replace the part time lamplighters. The scheme was not to be extended to the lamps switched by the full time men as they were needed for cleaning and maintenance purposes during the day. The scheme would cost £2,612 but allowing for the loan repayments and interest, would produce yearly savings of £255. The report was deferred to look into the implications of the discharge of staff.

During 1933 the Chatsworth Estate had been erecting new lamposts in Hunloke and Astaire Avenues as the building in this area progressed. They seemed to be cutting corners and were spacing the lamps further and further apart at spacings of 50 to 56 yards instead of 40. They were challenged by the Council but it appears the Council had approved the plans in that format so nothing could be done. Brydges reiterated that all future installations should be at 40 yrd spacings.

The winter of 1933 brought the usual reductions in the seafront lighting and the usual complaints from the Royal Parade hoteliers, only this time the Mayor intervened and agreed that all the Paisley lamps and rings should remain alight all night.This led to the Council switching off the Worthing lamps instead, only to find that they also lost the lights to four shelters, the two lamps on the ventilating columns opposite Devonshire Place and the tall Wembley lamp at the Wish Tower. The Worthings were thus switched back on and the Paisleys on the flower basket poles along Grand Parade turned off instead.

It may have been that the Council were being too prudent with their lighting costs for their own good, for another fatal accident was to occur along the seafront near the Mostyn Hotel. At the inquest the jury added a rider saying that the "lighting at the place was inadequate and the primary cause of the accident" In a letter in November the Coroner wrote to the Council disassociating himself from these remarks but searching questions were asked for some time to come over the Lighting Committees efforts to save costs.

Gas lighting had reached its peak of technological improvements in the 1930s with the commercial use of high pressure burners.Part of the London to Hastings road at Lewisham had been lit partly by gas and partly by electric filament lights to compare the two systems and the gas system was actually judged to be the better of the two. In December of 1933 the Gas Co.wrote to the Council offering to install and light free of charge for a year, an up to date form of gas street lighting installation in a trial road. The Council having made its decision that electricity was the future as far as Eastbournes lighting was concerned, replied that while appreciating the gesture, they were unable to accept.

Apart from the new installations of the Paisley lamps on their new taller cast iron columns, most of Eastbourne's street lighting at this time was a mixture of old and new technologies. The CA fittings were an improvement on the gas lantern conversions but were still limited by the siting of the original posts. They also had a mounting height of only about 12 feet and most of Eastbourne's streets were wide by normal standards, leading to pools of light around lamposts and then dark patches. The smaller Wembley lanterns although giving some light control along the road were still hampered by the siting and height of the existing columns. The larger Wembley lanterns on the old arc lamp columns in the main roads were fitted at a mounting height of about 20 feet and the lanterns were efficient but the spacing of the columns was far from desirable. The Worthing lanterns on the arc lamp columns on the seafront lit up the parade and flower gardens decoratively but were incorrectly sited to be effective street lights. Elsewhere odd installations of tramway poles with span wires or overhang brackets were in use and whereas these could be erected where the lighting was needed they were far from attractive and didn't really look right amongst Eastbournes elegant streets and buildings.

The Electrical Engineer and the Council realised something had to be done and a policy of raising mounting heights and lighting improvements was embarked upon. A sum of £1500 was allocated for the current year.

Nationally, developments in new electric gaseous discharge light sources had been taking place with The General Electric Co. (GEC) taking the lead in the production of mercury vapour lamps and Philips Electrical Ltd.concentrating on the low pressure sodium lamp. Both these lamps were very efficient at producing light, roughly speaking a 250W mercury lamp and 140W sodium lamp would produce more light than a 500W filament lamp, hence light outputs could be instantly doubled or trebled for the same costs. The drawback was that the mercury lamps produced a bluish, greeny white light and the sodium lamps were yellowy amber coloured. Both types of lamp needed control gear consisting of choke coils and condensors to be wired in their circuits. In 1932 the Purley Way section of the London to Brighton road in Croydon had been lit by Philips sodium lamps and in 1933, Watford Rd in Wembley was lit with mercury lamps by GEC.

The Lighting Committee commenced a tour of inspection of the various modern methods of street lighting, looking at the installations in Croydon, Malden and Kingston and even a new gas installation at Barnes. On their return they decided to try out the mercury lamps and the Lighting Committee were authorised to purchase 8 tall lighting columns supplied by the Bromford Tube Co. at £8 each and 8 Osira type lanterns, lamps and control gear from GEC at £11. 15s each. The combination of Osira lanterns and tall columns gave a mounting height of 25 feet to the light source, some 5 feet taller than the Wembleys that hung from the old arc columns. Upperton Rd between Selwyn Rd and Moatcroft Rd was selected as the trial site in preference to Victoria Place which had also been considered and the lamps and columns were erected and became operational during 1934.

To improve the side street lighting on the existing cast iron columns, a higher mounting height and new lanterns for filament lamps were required. By this time some of the cast iron Every columns were supplied with a larger and taller base, which combined with the small CA type swan neck in use at the time gave a mounting height of about 15 feet. Apart from being taller these columns were very similiar to the existing columns, although for some reason the ladder bar was changed to the opposite side of the post. To increase the height of the other columns to 15 feet tenders were sought for a larger, taller type of swan neck bracket made to Eastbournes own design. Tenders were also requested for the new type of lantern for filament lamps in the 100W to 200W sizes that was to become the standard for these brackets.

The succesful tenders were received in July 1934 the winners, who also happened to be the cheapest, were the Electric Street Lighting Co. for the brackets and the Revo Electric Co.for the lanterns.

The brackets were made from 1" internal diameter pipe as opposed to 3/4" on the smaller swan necks and this was sealed with lead into a cast iron spigot cap in order to reduce the effects of corrosion that were being seen on the smaller swan necks. The spigot cap casting had a fluted design to match the shafts of the Morris and Every columns. The pipe protruded though the spigot casting and down into the column for about 1' 6". This helped the running of the wire and also acted as a safety feature to prevent the bracket falling if the spigot bolts were to become lose or as happened in later years the spigot on the older columns started to rust away. As the idea of automatic control was being investigated, at the time these brackets were being made the opportunity was taken of designing a special finial adaptor that could house an early form of photo electric control. Usually these Radiovisor type selenium bridge units were contained in ugly boxes mounted on the side of the bracket and the Eastbourne method provided a neat and unobtrusive alternative, although this form of control was not actually to be used in any quantity, other methods being preferred.

 

1930s Bracket & Radiovisor finial adaptor, but with 1970s replacement lantern.

 

 

The Revo lanterns consisted of a cast iron top with a copper spun body and vitreous enamelled reflector. A refractor ring was fitted to the reflector by three pieces of bent wire attached by springs. No outer glass globe was supplied as these absorbed a certain proportion of the light and the refractor ring could easily be removed for cleaning. The refractor in these lights was designed to give an assymetrical light distribution, not only bending the light downwards and up and down the road, but also skewing the main portion of the light out towards the road at an angle of 12.5 degrees from the kerb line.

As soon as the brackets and lanterns arrived they were used to replace the old gas lantern conversions as a matter of priority. At 12 important corners or islands, matching lanterns with double lamps and refractors were fitted to provide back up for when a lamp failed.

Automatic controlling was still receiving attention and in July the Electrical Engineer was authorised to purchase as a trial, a new system of centralised control, the Strowger system that relied on high frequency impulses being superimposed on the mains cables from a unit mounted in the local substation. These high frequencies would be detected by relays mounted in the bases of the lamp posts, thus turning the lamps on or off as required. This system did not need any pilot wires or extra switch wires in the mains cables and it offered more direct control if groups of lamps had to be switched on or off outside normal times. Enough equipment was ordered to control the equivelent of one hand switched 'round'.The equipment was installed in lamps in the Meads area.

In late 1934 a decision was made to uprate the lamps on bus routes from 100W to 150W and to increase the heights in some instances. At important junctions Mercury lamps were to be fitted on new 25' posts and in lanterns that would also contain standard filament lamps in an effort to improve the colour of the light from the Mercury lamps. These first junctions were as below:

In Grove Rd the existing arc lamp columns were to have their half round brackets and Wembley lanterns removed and replaced with new taller half round brackets, not too different from the ones they replaced but giving a mounting height of 25' to the new mercury lanterns. The column outside the Town Hall was to be fitted with a double bracket for two lanterns.

Mercury lamps and extended brackets in Grove Rd

The new Mercury lanterns that were selected were made by Revo and were a six sided hanging lantern with obscured glass panels and contained one Mercury lamp of 400W or 250W and three filament lamps of 100W or 75W dependant on their siting.

In early 1935 the mixed mercury lamps were fitted at further junctions at Grove Rd and Orchard and Terminus Rds, Southfield Rd and The Goffs, Talley Ho corner and the junction of Mountney and Charleston Rds and later at the junction of St Philips Ave. and Whitley Rd..

As the lamps were getting taller maintenance and erection were becoming a problem. The only tower wagons that were in use were hand propelled and it was decided that a motor tower wagon was required and tenders were duly sought, the local firm of Caffyns being the eventual supplier. Erection was also primitive, wooden shear legs and a block and tackle being used rather than incurring the expense of a motorised crane.

In November one of the local building firms Prospect Homes Ltd complained to the Council at the cost they were charged for having street lamps erected on their developments. At the time the Electrical Dept were charging £10.10s per column and the Gas Co. who were still valiantly trying to be in the business of street lighting had offfered to erect gas lamps for £6. 15s. Brydges pointed out that once the electric lamps were erected they would be maintained free of charge by the Council whereas this would not be the case with any gas lighting, he also agreed to drop the charge to £8.16s.

Overhanging trees were still a problem and Brydges brought this to the Councils attention suggesting that the Borough Surveyors Dept adopted a programme of tree lopping possibly by purchasing an old motor vehicle, and this was later resolved by the use of an old open top bus for the work

More Mercury lamps were agreed to be fitted at the junctions of Cavendish Place and Tideswell Rd and Longstone Rd and Winter Rd.

By February of 1936 Revo were now supplying both tall steel posts and the short cast iron side street columns identical to the Every design except that the ladder bar had now been dispensed with. The tall posts had become standardised on a high tensile fluted shaft design with a wider diameter base tube containing a hinged door to accomodate the mercury lamp control gear and any necessary switching and fusing equipment. Cast iron embellishments were attached at ground level, at the change of section between the base and the shaft and at the end of the fluting on the shaft with a finial at the top of the shaft. Approx 2' from the top of the shaft the horizontal bracket arm was fitted, sometimes up to 10' long to clear overhanging trees. This arm was supported by decorative scroll work both top and bottom.

The use of these steel posts produced some important advantages over tall cast iron columns in that they were lighter to manhandle and less prone to damage while doing so, they posed less of a hazard in an impact with a car. being more likely to bend than snap in half and crash down on the vehicle and its occupants and in high winds they tended to sway rather than vibrate which would help to prolong the life of the lamps, filament lamps especially being susceptible to vibrations.

Revo were also supplying the standard in town refractor type of side street lantern and of course the new mercury lanterns. In the rural areas cheaper reflector type filament lanterns were used of the type using a cast iron wing shaped fitting with faceted mirror reflectors to direct the light along the road. Although these were efficient at distributing light, glare was a problem from the unshielded bulbs and they were not favoured for in town use.

Painting of the columns was carried out every 3 years in town and every 2 years along the seafront. Mid green was the colour for all side street lamps and the taller lamps outside the main shopping areas. Along the seafront and in the main part of town all the columns were painted with a green base and a silver shaft.

The cable between Kings Avenue and Park Avenue in Kings Drive needed renewing and in June 1936 two options were considered either just laying a new street lighting cable or laying a mains distributor that contained a street lighting core. The choice really depended on the amount of development that was likely to occur in the next 5 years in that area. The question of providing automatic control to the lighting in the Kings Drive Lewes Rd and Avenue areas similiar to the scheme carried out in the Meads area in 1934 was also considered. It was decided that only a new lighting cable should be installed, but also that the extension to the Strowger automatic control should be included.

In the year up to March 31st 1936, 50 additional street lamps had been erected and by now 70 side roads had been standardised with the new Revo lanterns and brackets where applicable, practically completing the standardisation. 109 lamps had been fitted with 150w bulbs and automatic switching had been extended to cover 97 lamps.

Kings Drive via Lewes Rd and The Avenue was the main approach road to the town from Hampden Park and London and with the installation of the new cable the improvement to the lighting of the road was looked at. Following the success of the new mercury discharge lamps in Grove Rd and at the various junctions around town it was natural that these light sources should be considered. Sodium lamps had yet to be used within the Borough as it was thought the yellow light would not be accepted within the town. However for approach roads the sodium lamps offered good visual acuity and the prospect of high lighting levels at low running costs. Moreover because the sodium lamps were physically quite long and had a relatively low surface brightness, reletively cheap reflector type fittings could be used without causing unnacceptable glare problems to motorists. As a consequence various mercury and sodium fittings were erected along the road for the Councils Lighting Committee to inspect.

The Committee favoured the sodium lights and tenders were sought from suppliers to light the route into the town including Kings Drive, Lewes Rd and The Avenue.

In December, Revo were awarded the contract for their type of reflector lantern priced at £7. 6s 10d and the system was commissioned and working in March of 1937.

Kings Drive - Eastbourne's first sodium lit road

During February. Brydges had brought to the attention of the Council the fact that concrete poles were now being used as lamp columns and that as steel was likely to be soon in short supply a trial concrete column should be purchased and erected for evaluation. The Council did not share his enthusiasm and did not approve the purchase.

At the time of these lighting improvements the British Standard for street lighting B.S.307 had 8 classes of illumination levels for road lighting systems, ranging from class A with a level of 2 foot candles and upwards down to H with an illumination level of .01 foot candles. This standard called for the illumination level to be measured approx. half way between lamps and although giving a relative indication of the quality of the system, was quickly being overtaken by the advent of new lanterns and light sources and new theories on street lighting. The practice of silhouette vision was starting to be employed whereby the streetlighting was used to light the surface of the road to a uniform level of brightness, thus allowing objects on the road to be seen as a silhouette against this background. This was an effective way of using relatively low lighting levels to produce good road lighting. This method is very dependent for its effectiveness on the surface used for the road covering, lighter concrete roads producing better results than dark bitumen covered roads with matt or polished surfaces also producing different results. In wet weather the light from the lamps tends to reflect off the road in thin streaks rather than uniformly lighting the surface thus reducing the results.

To obtain a uniform road surface brightness it was necessary to site the lamp columns such that the light from a number of distant lanterns merge to provide a well lit section of road between the driver and the lights. Hence lamps will usually be alternately staggered on either side of a straight road, be mounted opposite a 'tee' junction and fitted on the outside of bends. Central lighting of roads by span wire systems was becoming less favoured as the centre of the road was illuminated to the detriment of the pavements and this encouraged drivers in both directions to use the centre of the road, perhaps not the best of ideas as traffic levels increased!.

Traffic levels were rapidly increasing and the programme of trunk road building prompted the Ministry of Transport to set up a Departmental Committee to consider the aims of street lighting on a nationwide basis. In the absence of a new British Standard they produced a final report and recommendations in 1937.

In November of 1937 this report had reached the Electrical Engineer at Eastbourne. Its main recommendations were to have only two classes of lighting, Group A for use on main traffic routes and Group B for all other roads. Group A lighting was to have a mounting height of 25' and the spacing between lamps was to be 40yds where possible. Group B lighting was to have a mounting height of between 13' and 15' and spacing was again 40 yards.

Brydges was therefore pleased to be able to report to the Council that the recently introduced improvements conformed in all aspects with the recommendations. Having installed the first sodium scheme and further efforts to accomodate the reports recomendations more mixed mercury lamps were installed at junctions at Upper Avenue and Bedfordwell Rd and Tideswell Rd and Longstone Rd, the later following the demolition of a combined sewer-vent and lighting column by a car.

Seventy more sodium fittings on the new style of column had been installed in The Goffs, Upper Avenue, Upperton Rd and Willingdon Rd thus improving the lighting on the approach roads from the North and West. Whereas before,( apart from in the Grove Rd area where mixed tunsten and mercury fittings had been installed on new brackets on the old arc lamp columns) the new mercury lamps and columns had been installed sporadically here and there amongst shorter column lighting where an important junction needed lighting, now a complete installation of 26 mercury fittings and new columns had been installed in the main shopping areas of Terminus Rd and Victoria Place replacing 88 old lamps.

 

1930s/40s 25'steel columns in Terminus Rd.

 

In some contradiction to the Ministry of Transport report (it had recommended all night lighting where financially possible) in February of 1938 the Council asked the electrical engineer to report on the savings that could be made by reducing the streetlighting after midnight. He reported back on the present switching times and methods of control, which in May were as follows:-

Three methods of control were in use, (1) hand switching of approx 1535 lamps, mainly in the older parts of the town such as Old Town (except the new areas west of Victoria drive) and the areas around Ashford Rd and Seaside. (2) Time switch controlling of approx 500 lamps, the majority by large capacity time switches in substations, controlling the lamps via switch wires in the mains cables, mainly in the ares built after the war and (3) approx 365 lamps controlled via the Strowger system, in the Meads, Avenue and Kings Drive areas.

To reduce the lighting on alternate lamps in the hand switched areas would necessitate further rounds for the existing lamplighters or employing more staff. In the time switch controlled areas alternate lamps would have to have switches installed and these would have to be turned off at midnight and on again the following morning. The additional switching on the Strowger system would not be a problem except where some lamps were controlled via short switch wires from relays in nearby columns. these would require additional relays fitted. It was estimated an annual saving of £700 could be achieved by these reductions.

The down side would be that Eastbourne would be in comparitive darkness after 11.30pm and the Chief Constable was concerned at the possible increase in crime. From an electrical point of view the street lighting load was a useful one,occuring as it did at a time when there was hardly any load on the generators and thus improving the load factor of the system as the savings would amount to reduction of only .19d in the proposed rate of 5.09d in the £ the Electrical Engineer did not recomend the reductions. In the end the Council decided not alter the time switch controlled areas, but most of the other reductions did take place.

When the Kings Drive and The Avenue areas were added to the Strowger high frequency switching method, the transmitters for each area were mounted in the local substations and the on or off pulses were initiated by an adjacent solar dial time switch that activated the transmitter at the required times. This was further modified in April of 1938 by a central system of control from the Roselands station. A master transmitter and time switch was installed in the control room of the station and this transmitted a high frequency pulse of 1900 cycles on to the nearest low tension circuit. This pulse then travelled via the distribution transformers and high voltage feeders to the local substations where the local transmitters were activated via tuned relays that had replaced the local time switches. Within a few months this system was again altered so that the master transmitter was operated manually by the duty engineer after receiving a bell signal from a light sensitive relay mounted on the roof of the building. On bright cloudless evenings and mornings this could result in savings of half an hour or so on the time switch settings.The use of this system of master and local transmitters was the first of its kind in the Country.

Towards the end of 1938 further improvements in Memorial Square. Cornfield Terrace , Chiswick Place and Cavendish Place were agreed and were budgeted for in the following year. Sodium lamps were to be used on Cavendish Place between Cavendish Bridge and Seaside Rd, the rest of the improvements to be mercury lighting. In the east of the town three sodium lamps were agreed to be erected in Westham Rd between the junction of Seaside and Westham Rd and Langney Mount.

Brydges again brought to the attention of the Council the increasing availability of attractive concrete lighting columns both for side and main roads and asked to be allowed to erect samples. This was sanctioned and two tall columns were agreed to be purchased for use north of the roundabout on the Willingdon By Pass. Refractor fittings rather than reflector fitting were now preferred for the sodium lamps and these were being supplied by Revo who more or less had the monopoly on the towns street light lanterns at the time, although the Electric Street Lighting Apparatus Co and Simplex were supplying the filament lamp reflector lanterns for the rural areas.The local firm of Louis G Ford supplied Philips discharge lamps and control gear for use in the fittings.

In April of 1939 J.K. Brydges retired as the Electrical Engineer after 39 years service of managing the growth of Eastbourne's Electrical undertaking. A well as improving and promoting the development of the towns lighting, he also undertook the complete rebuilding of Eastbournes electrical supplies and generating equipment, from the inception of the new Roselands station through to the extensive rural electrification schemes near the end of his career. He also skilfully promoted and expanded the use of domestic electrical appliances and industrial machinery within the Borough. He was succeded by N. Boydell.

Boydells first report for the year ending March 1939 summarised the developments of the towns lighting throughout the year:

Where the existing tungsten filament lit side roads joined a main road that had been lit by sodium or mercury discharge lamps it was felt that a benefit could be obtained by grading the light in these areas and experiments were carried out by mounting smaller wattage discharge lamps on the first two lamps in the side road. In a mercury road the lamp nearest the main road would be fitted with a 125W lamp and the second with an 80W lamp, from thereon the tungsten lamps remained. These smaller lamps were fitted on the existing brackets and columns. In a sodium junction two 60W lamps were installed between the main road and the existing tungsten lamps. Various other experiments were carried out such as mixing sodium and tungsten lamps in a trial fitting and also mixing sodium and mercury in the same fitting although they proved of no value and in the large lanterns the practice of mixing mercury and tungsten lamps continued, the wattage of the tungsten lamps could be increased or decreased according as to whether the colour quality of the light was important or efficiency was paramount.

With the prospect of war imminent and the threat from air raids an almost certainty, air raid precaution arrangements were actively progressed. Blackouts were to be rigorously enforced and although the Home Office was investigating ways of allowing low intensity street lighting, it was envisaged that no street lighting would be permitted. Motor vehicles had to have their head lamps shielded and although traffic lights were to remain operational the lamps had to be shielded so that only small slits of colour remained. To aid traffic movements during the blackout, the Council decided to fit low wattage blue lamps in traffic bollards and 'Keep Left' signs and also at the bases of lamp posts on dangerous islands or where roads diverged.

On one night in July and one in August of 1939 the RAF had requested all authorities in Kent and Sussex to participate in a complete trial blackout from midnight until dawn, in order that they could carry out exercises in the area. On the night of 8 July the blackout exercises took place and various simulated incidents took place to guage the effectiveness of the towns precautions. The blue lighting of the traffic bollards was found to be effective and adequate, although the Home Office had suggested that red and white lamps should have been installed. A Home Office official had been present in Eastbourne during the trial and it wasn't long before the Home Office wrote to the Council re-iterating their proposal for the installation of red and white lights in the bollards. The Council wrote back explaining that their own system had proved very effective and that they could not justify the extra costs that the Home Office scheme would entail. The second blackout took place on the night of the 9 August and from the Councils point of view was satisfactory , although a number of residents did not pay sufficient attention to the completeness of their blackout procedures on this occasion.

Surprisingly in November of 1939 the Council were still agreeing the budgets for further street lighting improvements in the year 1940-41 although all works were soon to come to a complete halt as the war started for real.

 

-THE 1940s-

 

In his report for the year to the end March 1940, Boydell sated that all street lighting improvements and extensions had ceased with the commencement of the blackout proper, but in the earlier part of the year 17 new sodium lights had been installed in the Cavendish Place scheme and 17 blended mercury lights had been installed in the part of Cavendish Place between Seaside Road and the seafront, at Memorial Square and in Cornfield Terrace and Chiswick Place.

During the war there was a critical shortage of manpower and what staff there were were kept busy maintaining supplies during the air raids and the ensuing damage. Some of the staff of the Electrical Undertaking continued working past their normal retirement age and this state of affairs continued after the war until circumstances returned to normal.

Many of the newly erected lights were destroyed or damaged during the raids, the large mercury lanterns sustaining more than their fair share of damage both due to their size and their locations in the centre of the town. The side road installations were often damaged by falling houses and debris, the older Morris columns seeming to fare worst, again possibly due to their locations in the smaller roads around the railway station which was of course a prime target for the German bombers. Many of the war time photographs show the street lights that were still vertical, painted with their high visibility white rings, which along with similiar markings applied to the trees, were to aid the visibility of such obstructions to pedestrians during the blackout.

Some minimal maintenance was carried out such, as painting some of the steel columns to prevent any further deterioration, where lamps were damaged the wiring was made safe and the bollard low intensity lighting was kept operational, but apart from that the street lighting was mainly left to fend for itself as the war continued.

March of 1945 saw some of the first attempt to rebuild and restore the lighting. In Meads Rd six columns had been lost due to war damage and these were replaced, but in more suitable locations and five new columns were added to improve the installation in that area. From then on as labour allowed the damage was gradually repaired with the opportunity of introducing improvements being taken where possible. By April the Government was reviewing the lighting restrictions still in force and the next step would have been the removal of all restrictions had it not been for the acute shortages of fuel that still existed. As it was all local authorities were requested to completely extinguish all their lighting again between 1 May and 15 July. The Electrical Engineer reported that in any case due to the labour shortage it would be some time before full street lighting would be available in Eastbourne. Because of the shortage of manpower and damage to control equipment and cabling that had been repaired temporarily, it was necessary for the Ministry of Fuel and Power to write to all authorities in July and advise them that if they could not guarantee that their lighting installations would not be entirely extinguished during daylight hours, then they should defer restoration of their lighting until such a time as that could be ensured. In Eastbourne the Council were assured that this was not a problem and the first steps to full lighting were commenced on July 15. Before the war, even after the reductions, a number of the lamps still burnt all night and this was the case upon restoration of the lighting in July. The Emergency Committee of the Council brought this to the Electrical Engineers attention and asked for all the lamps to be turned off at 11pm. Boydell said that staff were not available to achieve this and commented that the coal used was only of a grade suitable for power station use and could not be used for other purposes, but he was to look into achieving a 33% reduction in the all night lighting. However in August the Ministry of Fuel and Power required that all street lighting be extinguished by midnight and it was agreed that this could be 95% achieved within 3 weeks in Eastbourne.The residents complained but were told it was a necessity due to the severe shortages. Some relaxation was allowed by the end of October and the Electrical Engineer was given authority to restore all night lighting where circumstances justified it. This was applied to all the important junctions and bus termini in November.

Again in August 1946 a circular was received at Eastbourne stating that the Ministry of Transport was now to be seen as the central authority for street lighting matters and would be making recommendations and approvals in that respect. One of its first proposals was a reversal of an old Eastbourne philosophy in that the side road lighting should be extinguished at midnight and the main roads would be lit all night.

There were still many material shortages and any steel products were in short supply. A few concrete trial lighting columns had been installed prior to the war and the Electrical Engineer now wished to be permitted to use concrete columns for side street usage, particularly in the temporary housing estates that were being constructed to make up the shortfall of undamaged housing stock. As these columns were cheaper and easier to obtain this was agreed by the Council. Improvements in side roads continued, mainly by resiting and adding columns to existing ones to aid the uniformity of lighting and covering any dark spots that existed. Attempts were made to match the existing columns, either by new from stock or by using similiar columns that had been released when the new tall steel columns and their discharge lamps had been installed in their place.

 

Typical concrete side road column with newer Revo lantern

 

The new concrete columns were not yet used in the older parts of the town. Darley, Dalton and Milnthorpe roads were improved in this way with the addition of eight further columns, at the end of the year.

Friday Street was the end terminus of one of the bus routes reaching the outskirts of the eastern end of the town and the Council wished to install some better lighting in the area. They proposed a cheap scheme of modified lighting but this was not approved by the Ministry of Transport as they considered it a main road and required full lighting to be provided. As road improvements were destined for the area the Council did not wish to commit themselves to a full blown scheme and hence continued their correspondance but in the meantime erected a sodium lamp at the corner of Beggars Lane.

The Electricity Act of 1947 had led to the Nationalisation of the electricity supply network and the formation of the Local Electricity Boards, The South Eastern Electricity Board (Seeboard) being the local organisation who would absorb Eastbournes area and equipment and in February of 1948, Eastbournes Electrical Engineer N. Boydell, was appointed manager of the south eastern area of Seeboard.

Like most neighbouring towns Eastbourne ( Hastings being the exception who set up their own direct labour unit) passed over all the street lighting workload in the County Borough of Eastbourne to Seeboard on the understanding that the terms would be no less favourable than those at present obtained by the Council and that all proposals for new and improved lighting schemes would involve the prior consent of the Council. Also Seeboard were to submit a quote as soon as possible for a long term contract with the Council and to let the Council know by 31 March 1948 as to whether they wished the 23 staff to transfer into Seeboards employment. Seebord replied that the staff would not automatically transfer on April 1st and the present arrangements may continue for the time being.

The standard flourescent tube had been developed just prior to the war and had been used in factories during the war, its main advantage being its long life and low running costs. During the late 1940s the use of the flourescent tube was actively promoted for both business and domestic use. Its potential use in streetlighting was also recognised, the advantages being as previously stated, but also the very low surface brightness of the tubes making glare almost not a problem for street lighting use. The big disadvantage however was the size if the lantern needed to contain perhaps 3 or 5 five foot tubes. Whilst new materials such as aluminium and perspex, now being used in place of the traditional cast iron, glass and copper in lantern construction made large weatherproof lanterns possible, they could look very unsightly and cluttered along a road and were not to everyones liking. Brompton Road in Kensington was the first road to be lit by 5' lamps by GEC and this had taken place in 1946. To coincide with the forthcoming I.M.E.A conference in Eastbourne, a manufacturer of flourescent fittings proposed to install 6 flourescent lights and column in Compton Street between the Winter Gardens and Silverdale Rd for the Council to evaluate and eventually purchase if satisfied. Part of the agreement was that the Council would purchase and erect a 7th column to complete the installation. The Council approved the idea and it was duly submitted to the Ministry of Transport, who in their wisdom decided not to sanction the scheme.

Following the loss of the Electricity Undertaking and street lighting to the area electricity board, the Councils Electricity and Street Lighting Committee ceased to exist and in July 1948 the streetlighting decisions were transferred to the Highways and Drainage Committee and the Borough surveyor as in years gone by. Usually one of Boydell's representatives would attend the meetings on Seeboards behalf. The Ministry of Transport still insisted that economies were required in the use of street lighting as the Country was still plagued by shortages of fuel and materials , but it was prepared to allow lighting up to a level of 25% less than the pre war levels as opposed to a 50% cut which had been in force. This allowed the sodium lighting in The Goffs, High St Church St. and Eastdean Rd and the Mercury lighting in Terminus Rd between Seaside Road and Grand Parade to be lit all night Also the Paisley lanterns on the houses side along the main part of the seafront to be kept alight all night during the conference season and at Christmas, thus appeasing the residents of those areas. It was later agreed that Junction Rd, Ashford rd , Cavendish Avenue, Firle Rd. Whitley Rd, St Philips Avenue and Southbourne Rd could be included, providing at least one route across town that was lit all night.

During the war the seafront had been taken over by the military with barbed wire and tank traps keeping not only the Germans away but what remained of Eastbournes diminished population out as well. The Wish Tower had been taken over and various fortifications added to the old Martello tower as a good viewpoint of the coast could be obtained from this point. Sometime during the occupation of the this area the Paisley lamps and columns that had surrounded the Wish Tower and lit part of the Western Parade had disapeared and Seeboard reported that it would not be easy to obtain replacements. The council therefore agreed for the new short concrete columns and replacement Paisleys to be erected in their place. An added benefit was that they would not need painting and would not corrode in their exposed locations.The cost of these lamps were to be included in Eastbournes claim against the War Dept, which was eventually agreed in total to be nearly £50,000.

In March of 1949, nearly 4 years after the war,Seeboard were told that all lighting restrictions were lifted and full street lighting could be restored from Sunday 2nd April. The decorative rings around the Paisley lamps on the seafront were no longer serviceable and a new lighting scheme for the seafront decorations was recomended to the Entertainments Committee.

The new scheme was to consist of lengths of festoon lighting with coloured bulbs to be strung between the parade lamp columns and the decorative rings on the Paisley posts were to be replaced with two sets of four opal glass spheres on decorative brackets fitted to each column. Floodlights were fitted to the arc lamp columns at the Carpet Gardens that also supported the Worthing lamps and the Marine Parade gardens were also floodlit. With the ommision of the Worthing lanterns and the use of smaller tungsten halogen floodlights, practically the same scheme is still in use today.

Further short additional lamps were installed at the request of bus drivers in St Philips Avenue and some resiting took place in Victoria Drive. Additional lamps were fitted in St Johns Rd and Meads Rd near bus stops and also in the Bourne Street area, another site that had been taken over by the military authorities during the war.

Up to now where tall lamps had been installed at busy junctions within short column tungsten lighting schemes, they had usually been fitted with mercury lamps. Where these junctions occured in an area that was considered outside the town centre sodium lamps were now being installed and by the end of 1949 a tall column of the standard pattern with a 140W sodium lamp had been installed at the junction of St Philips Ave. and Ringwood Rd, and a double bracket arm column with two lamps fitted on the island at the junction of Albert Parade and Victoria Drive.

The end of the 1940s saw the street lighting being steadily repaired and improved and installations added to the new housing areas that were steadily being built following the war. Eastbourne knew that it had to rebuild its holiday resort image and part of this image was to have well lit approach roads and shopping areas and a decoratively lit seafront, all of which were well under way considering the financial constraints of the time. As well as its tourist trade, Eastbourne was also developing light industrial estates to provide all year round employment in order to balance out the seasonal hotel trade and the lighting of these estates and the approach roads was also to be considered if business's were to be successfully attracted to the town.

 

 

Back to home page

Page Created 4-Jun-1999
Last Updated18-Mar-2000 17:39 GMT Standard Time