Shedding light on preserving heritage

A project is under way to upgrade street lights at several areas in the villages with more modern designs – meaning the removal of several distinctive historic cast-iron lampposts.

The local authority says health and safety is the main reason for taking the late Victorian-era lampposts away – but residents hope they can be refurbished and kept.

They were in a conservation area and were functional and working, said the campaigners – so future generations should have the chance to appreciate them.

Camapigners have sought the views of other villagers and made a presentation to last week’s meeting of Largo Area Community Council.

The old-fashioned street lights – originally gas lamps – are situated around the South Feus and Church Place areas.

Their column shafts are possbily around 100 years old, with the later addition of brackets about 40 years ago.

However, they could be away by mid-February, according to Fife Council.

“They are structurally unsafe and similar types have failed,” said a spokesman.

One resident, Alison Genet, said many villagers hadn’t realised the upgrade would mean the end of the road for the street lights, although they accepted the proper planning procedures had been followed.

They had spoken to the contractor and hoped maybe to ask the council to think again, so the lampposts could continue to enhance the area’s beauty and character.

“We may need now to be thinking of how we can draw together as a village to accept and make the best of a bad situation, and look to restoring the old lampoosts and reposition them within the village in a way that does the village justice,” said Alison.