They have been standing tirelessly for nearly two centuries
Could someone revive the light in them
The silent metal lamp posts scattered across by-lanes in Colombo are a familiar sight to many of its residents. It may come as a surprise to many to discover that these silent figures standing tall are close to 200 years old (older than the Colombo Municipality established in October 1865). Manufactured by Ham Burger & Co Ltd. (a British manufacturer) the lamp posts are believed to be connected to the central gas system, leading to the Colombo Harbour, which lit the entire city with imported LP gas.
The underground pipe system, believed to exist to this day, is similar to lighting systems set up by the British in other colonized countries such as Bangladesh where the system is in use even today. The system is considered to be less expensive compared to other city lighting systems as it needs only a small amount of gas. Municipality officials are yet to identify the mixture of metal used to manufacture the posts, but it is widely believed that it is iron combined with another metal, which has allowed most to survive close to 200 years. How many lamp posts were established in the city is unknown, however officials said there were 50 posts still standing across the city today. A complete lamp post can be seen at the Veterinary office of the Colombo Municipality in Borella, while others can be seen in Kollupitiya and Bambalapitiya.
It is interesting to note that the Colombo Municipality is the oldest local government body established by the British in the South Asian region.