Strange thing at Clock House

[sandy]

There's an oft-seen photo of the parade of shops at Clock House taken in about 1910. At the near end is the start of Queens Road - the corner that's occupied nowadays by the Indian restaurant, though at that time a sweet shop. At the edge of the road is a lamp post and, beside it, what appears to be another post with a bent-over top. Does anyone know what that is?

Although I think it appears in another Clock House Parade photo (so we must assume it was a fairly permanent feature) I just can't imagine what it's purpose is. I've never seen another. I wondered if it provided a trickle of water for horses, but it's a bit too high for that... and in any case a normal horse trough offers more advantages. Since one never sees even old disused ones now, I can't think much beyond something to do with the horse-drawn age, especially positioned as it is at the edge of the road. However, does anyone know for certain, or can make a plausible guess?

Paul Sanderson, Clock House: sandy[at]dircon dot-coh, dot-you-kay

[thecratedbrick]

I have not seen the photo you refer to, but if you look at the first video on this site which is a copy of the Beckenham Cine society film made in 1935, part way through you will see a horse-drawn cart watering the dusty unmade roads. I think that the pipe you are referring to would have been used to fill the water cart as I have an old postcard for Newhaven in Sussex which shows exactly just such a pipe used for that purpose.

[sandy]

Many thanks, that seems conclusive! The picture I referred to can be found at (as per 24 Sept 2008) www.beckenhamhistory.co.uk/clockhse.jpg That's simply the first place I've found it online today - it's a common picture and seems to be everywhere in pictorial histories of Beckenham.

[The Historian]

The pipe in question is a vent for the sewage system. A stench-pipe.

[sandy]

On the whole, TheCratedBrick (Sept 11) gets my vote with the water cart theory. If he possesses a photo showing such a pipe being used to replenish a water cart, then that's pretty conclusive. As a stench pipe to take noxious odours out of the sewers and away, the mystery pipe lacks practicality in that it is not very tall and it bends down towards the pavement.