London By Gaslight

Around 1,300 gas lamps still burn on the streets of London, survivors of a network that once lit the entire city. This guide explores them on foot, across six central London walks taking in Pall Mall, Westminster, Covent Garden, the Inns of Court, Hyde Park and Kensington, and the corridor between Green Park and Buckingham Palace. Written by the London Gasketeers, the campaign group responsible for protecting and restoring the capital's gas lamps, the guide combines a walker's itinerary with a working knowledge of the lamps themselves: their history, their mechanics, and the small team that maintains them on a fortnightly rotation. Sidebars cover the four lamp styles still in use, the lamplighters' craft, and the Gasketeers' own history and achievements. Gas street lighting was first demonstrated on Pall Mall in 1807. More than two centuries on, the lamps are still there. This guide shows you where to find them.