We asked our social media followers what they thought this stump could once have been. There were many entertaining suggestions. Some of the ideas put forward were: street lamp, drinking water post, cannon, air raid siren, fire hydrant, parish markers, trolley bus post…
This intriguing stump could be mistaken for many things.
However, some of you guessed correctly. It’s part of an old Stink Pipe. But not like the ones you usually see dotted across Carshalton, which have less ornate bases and are overall much taller – pictured below and dating 1896 to 1903.
The smaller pipe by Carshalton Park has words printed on the base which most likely dates it to between 1904 and 1914. It reads:
J STONE & CO LTD
• DEPTFORD •
LONDON.S.E.
The London engineering company J Stone and Co existed from 1842 until 1958.
There is a grade 2 listed example still intact in Wiltshire. See an image of it below.
Stink pipes or Sewage Ventilation Stacks were used to vent dangerous gasses that could build up underground and to let air into the system to aid the flow. Modern technology means they are no longer necessary.
So there you have it. Mystery solved.
Some questions remain. Why was the top removed? (Possibly for iron to use in the war). Why does the base remain? Are there any more of these left in Carshalton? How many were installed originally? Why are they different to the other stink pipes in the area? We’d love to hear what you think. Please comment below.
Credits etc. Another similar pipe by same company, Pipes used as lampposts, Box People and Places, Google Street View
