One thing which struck me as surprising at the canal was the lack of lighting. The surrounding areas are all lit up yet the canal itself remains dark...
I have done some research into history of lighting in Nottingham to try and understand why the canal is not lit up like the rest of the city.
The first step towards lighting Nottingham was in 1762 when the Nottingham authorities made the decision to light the town. Initially these lights were powered by a wick floating on top of whale fat obtained from whalers in Whitby and other such ports. However, it was not until around 1807 that the town was lit properly using these lights. It is also estimated that these lights were only in use for approximately 12 years.
The fairly short life of the whale fat lights was due to a newer alternative being introduced. Gas.
The first recorded use of gas lighting in Nottingham was by a Mr Taylor, who illuminated his brass foundry during the winter of 1814. However, by 1819, gas lights had been adopted by the Nottingham authorities to light the town and on the 13th of April, 10 gas lights were lit. Despite the concerns of many over the dangers of gas and explosions, the use of gas lights spread across Nottingham for years, continuing to grow until 1874.
Four years later on the 4th of November 1878, Nottingham witnessed the introduction of electric powered lights. By 1894, the Market Square was alight with electric illumination.
The first step towards lighting Nottingham was in 1762 when the Nottingham authorities made the decision to light the town. Initially these lights were powered by a wick floating on top of whale fat obtained from whalers in Whitby and other such ports. However, it was not until around 1807 that the town was lit properly using these lights. It is also estimated that these lights were only in use for approximately 12 years.
The fairly short life of the whale fat lights was due to a newer alternative being introduced. Gas.
The first recorded use of gas lighting in Nottingham was by a Mr Taylor, who illuminated his brass foundry during the winter of 1814. However, by 1819, gas lights had been adopted by the Nottingham authorities to light the town and on the 13th of April, 10 gas lights were lit. Despite the concerns of many over the dangers of gas and explosions, the use of gas lights spread across Nottingham for years, continuing to grow until 1874.
Four years later on the 4th of November 1878, Nottingham witnessed the introduction of electric powered lights. By 1894, the Market Square was alight with electric illumination.
My Deductions...
It is curious as to why the canal received no lighting, the canal was finished in 1796, shortly before the introduction of lighting the town. Perhaps one suggestion is that they were prioritising the centre of Nottingham, and since it is likely that little trade happened via the canal routes at night it was not deemed necessary.
It is also worth remembering that technology was not nearly as advanced then as it is today. It would have been a huge undertaking to install the gas lights by the canal. Also given the fear of explosions from the gas lines, it may be that it was deemed too risky to have the gas around a trade route for gun powder and coal. This is especially true when baring in mind the incident which happened in 1818 when a sailor tossed a hot coal onto some gun powder. The devastation from that was severe enough without gas pipes being included. Had such an event occurred around gas lights, the damage could have extended across the whole town, not just the nearby streets.
This destruction may also have contributed to why there are no lights there now. Since the canal area was so badly damaged just 1 year before the gas lighting of Nottingham, lighting the canal may not have been the primary concern of the owners.
Speaking of owners, as discussed in an earlier post, the canal fell into the hands of many. Since no one business or corporation held onto it long enough, it is possible that the necessary time or money was never applied to the canal in order to light it. All these reasons potentially explain why the earlier lighting systems of Nottingham never made it to the canal.
Eventually the canal ended up in the hands of Great Northern Railway, who disliked canals. They left the canal to fend for itself and invested very little, if any, money and time into it. The canal became disused and ceased being a trade route, warranting no investment for lighting.
It is also worth remembering that technology was not nearly as advanced then as it is today. It would have been a huge undertaking to install the gas lights by the canal. Also given the fear of explosions from the gas lines, it may be that it was deemed too risky to have the gas around a trade route for gun powder and coal. This is especially true when baring in mind the incident which happened in 1818 when a sailor tossed a hot coal onto some gun powder. The devastation from that was severe enough without gas pipes being included. Had such an event occurred around gas lights, the damage could have extended across the whole town, not just the nearby streets.
This destruction may also have contributed to why there are no lights there now. Since the canal area was so badly damaged just 1 year before the gas lighting of Nottingham, lighting the canal may not have been the primary concern of the owners.
Speaking of owners, as discussed in an earlier post, the canal fell into the hands of many. Since no one business or corporation held onto it long enough, it is possible that the necessary time or money was never applied to the canal in order to light it. All these reasons potentially explain why the earlier lighting systems of Nottingham never made it to the canal.
Eventually the canal ended up in the hands of Great Northern Railway, who disliked canals. They left the canal to fend for itself and invested very little, if any, money and time into it. The canal became disused and ceased being a trade route, warranting no investment for lighting.