King in row over plans to replace gas lanterns at St James’s Palace

The King faces being dragged into a row over net zero plans to replace gas lamps with LED replicas, The Telegraph can reveal.

The Royal household lodged plans earlier this year to replace gas with eco-friendly alternatives at Buckingham, St James’s and Kensington palaces.

However, heritage campaigners say replacing the gas lamps would be removing a key piece of London’s history – Pall Mall became the first street in the world to have gas lamps in 1807 – and called for the existing lanterns to be upgraded.

The St James’s Conservation Trust has lodged an objection against plans to alter lamps near St James’s Palace on Marlborough Road.

The trust consists of local businesses and prominent residents, including Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the husband of the Princess Royal and the King’s own brother-in-law. 

Also on the conservation trust are Kate Hobhouse, the chairman of Fortnum & Mason, and retail entrepreneur Christopher Fenwick.

It follows a wider rollout of modern street lamps in Westminster critcised by heritage campaigners.

The trust said replacing traditional gas lamps with LEDs, or “fakes” of original gas mantles... “do not meet the historic authenticity expected by visitors and heritage professionals”, claiming they are a “recognition of the style and character of Regency, Victorian and Edwardian era street lighting” and are “more than just street furnishing”.

“These few remaining examples of the gas source lighting should be repaired and updated” to keep their “aesthetic character”, it added.

The objection added that plans submitted by the Royal household had not provided “sufficient reasons” for the changes.

Four separate planning applications for gas lamp changes have been lodged – for St James’s Palace which is yet to be determined by council planning officials, Kensington Palace and for the Quadrangle, Ambassadors’ Court and the forecourt at Buckingham Palace where the Changing the Guard takes place.

The King has been seeking to undertake a climate-friendly makeover of the royal estate, including converting two state Bentleys to run on biofuel, installing electric vehicle charging points and solar panels at Clarence House, and switching the heating of Birkhall to biomass boilers using wood chips from trees felled in the Scottish estate’s forest.

Meanwhile, a new head of sustainability was appointed by the monarch in 2023 to accelerate his net-zero ambitions.

Sir Michael Stevens, former Keeper of the Privy Purse, described the new developments as “small steps, but part of a much wider plan to make a significant impact on our carbon emissions in the years ahead”.

Gas lanterns have been used at Buckingham Palace since 1901. The original gas lanterns were mounted on iron pedestals.

During the Second World War, the ironwork was melted down to make armaments and aircraft, according to Suggs Lighting Company, which installed the lanterns.

In 2022, Westminster council undertook a gas-lamp review, with 300 of its 14,000 street lights powered by gas.

However, the Victorian Society and the London Gasketeers, a group of specialist lamplighters who maintain the historical lamps, expressed concern over the plans.

While they have significant historical value, the council said the lamps were becoming increasingly difficult and costly to maintain. It committed to maintaining 174 of the gas-powered lamps.

Tim Bryars and Luke Honey, from the London Gasketeers, whose champions include Griff Rhys Jones and Simon Callow, told The Telegraph: “We have proved again and again that the gas lamps are extremely efficient.

“In any case, about a third of electricity in this country is still generated by burning gas (and it’s much more energy efficient to burn gas at the point of use), and as net zero targets become increasingly controversial, that seems unlikely to change.

“Take that in tandem with increasing investment in biogas and hydrogen – both compatible with the existing gas lamp technology – and the greenest thing to do would be to leave the old gas lamps alone, rather than laying down new electricity infrastructure and fabricating new LED-compatible lanterns.

“We also believe, passionately, in the importance of preserving working examples of this important, world-changing technology in appropriate historic settings, and we support the survival of the jobs and traditional skills of the remaining lamplighters.

“There are a handful of lamplighters left, and they are dedicated to their profession. Where better than the royal palaces, both in terms of historic setting, and preserving traditional skills?”

A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “The Royal household is committed to reaching net zero for direct emissions by 2040. With this in mind, plans have been submitted to replace gas lamps with an environmental electric alternative. 

“Significant research and testing has been undertaken to retain as much of the historic design and effect of the gas lanterns as possible.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]