Local History Uncovered in a Gas Lamp

By Angela Gooch on December 8th, 2007

This news 1955 article gives an account of a piece of local history being uncovered when workmen were installing a new fluorescent lighting system in Lumley Road Skegness.

Seventeen years earlier, when new gas lamps were being erected on Lumley Road, workmen stashed a copy of the Skegness Standard inside the base fittings of the first gas lamp, along with a note.

Source: Skegness Standard 26th January 1955
Photo: A E Wrate Lumley Road SkegnessStandard in a Standard - local history uncovered

Local history was uncovered at Lumley Road in Skegness on Saturday.
Mr A Saunders of Skegby, foreman in charge of men now engaged in installing fluorescent lighting in Lumley Road, made a discovery inside a finial of one of the gas lamp standards which are being adapted to take the new lighting system.
It was a copy of the “Skegness Standard” dated February 23rd 1938, together with a note, which reads:
“This was the first lamp of its kind to be fixed in Skegness on February 23rd, the day of issue of this ‘Skegness Standard’, by A E Smalley, foreman, L Forster, fitter, I Grunnill, fitter’s mate (”Hefty”), I Barton, F Marsh (”Cracker Jack”), C Parlmer, E Roper (”Ned”) labourers.”
The note is signed: F Young AMICE, engineer and manager, and A F Dann, distribution superintendent.

The copy of the “Standard” contains, appropriately, an old photograph of Lumley Road as it appeared between 30 and 40 years ago.

Mr Saunders is pictured adapting the fittings of an old gas lamp.