Ventilating Column

Summary

One of a pair of ventilation columns for public lavatories, 1897 by George Jennings for Greenwich District Board of Works, derived from a design by Alexander 'Greek' Thomson.

Reasons for Designation

The ventilating column at Clifton Rise, 1897 by George Jennings, sanitary engineer for Greenwich District Board of Works, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* one of a pair, it is a rare and significant example of street furniture made by Macfarlane's Castings of Glasgow after a design by the influential Scottish architect Alexander 'Greek' Thomson, used here to enhance the public realm.

Historic interest:

* in their function as vents and lamp standards, to improve the quality of the public lavatories, and public health, built by the local sanitary engineer for Greenwich District Board of Works.

Group value:

* with the near-identical Grade II-listed ventilating column on New Cross Road.

History

The shaft, in the form of an ornate column, is one of a pair installed in 1897 to extract foul air from the below-ground lavatories, as part of public conveniences built by George Jennings, sanitary engineer, for Greenwich District Board of Works on behalf of the Vestry of St Paul's, Deptford. It stands at the south-west corner of Clifton Rise, adjacent to New Cross Road; it has been moved a short distance from its original site at a junction of main roads. The other shaft stands further to the west on New Cross Road (National Heritage List for England 1261964, listed at Grade II).

Jennings used central ventilating columns of an Egyptian pattern by Macfarlane's Castings of Glasgow, which were modelled on a design by the leading Scottish architect Alexander 'Greek' Thomson (1817-1875) for six lamp-standards outside his Egyptian Halls in Glasgow of 1870 to 1872.

The New Cross pair have identical columns but differing superstructures, and are said to be the only examples of the design in England. The columns could burn off foul air using the gas lamps which originally topped them. The Clifton Rise gas lantern has been removed, while the western shaft has a modern replacement.

Details

One of a pair of ventilation columns, 1897, by George Jennings, from an Egyptian pattern by Macfarlane's Castings, modelled on a design by Alexander 'Greek' Thomson.

Made of cast iron, the shaft has a tall square plinth with a flared fluted base, with flat Greek key and other geometric patterning. The column is slightly tapering, with bold fluting, terminating in stylised, pointed lotus flowers at the base and head. It has a deeply moulded, perforated capital with Egyptian aquatic plant ornament.

The superstructure, originally bearing a gas lamp, is an elaborate tripod with a fluted shaft, on a base of lotus and other leaves, some folded back, some overlapping, some unfurling to form the arms of the tripod. The scrolls, or unfurling leaves, are a shorter variant of the design of the western, New Cross Road column (Grade II).

Sources

Books and journals
Stamp, Gavin, Alexander 'Greek' Thomson, (1999), 105, 179
Macfarlane's Castings volume 1, (1895)

Websites
Macfarlane's Castings, accessed 11 September 2017 from https://issuu.com/hspubs/docs/macfarlane_s_castings_volume_1

End of official list entry

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