Local anger at plans to replace monument lantern

Residents of a Cornish town have taken a dim view on a plan by Cornwall Council to remove a historic lantern and replace it with a modern LED alternative.

The proposal to replace the lantern – given to Torpoint by the Carew Pole family – was described as "outrageous" and "sacrilegious", and one resident said "you can't replace history with a bit of tat", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Three Lighter Lantern was a thanksgiving gift for Sir Reginald Pole Carew's return from the Boer War.

The council wants to replace the lantern on top of the grade II listed monument as part of a countywide LED replacement programme and said the new lamp had a heritage design.

It originally stood in Sparrow Park but was moved to Elliot Square when the Ellis Memorial was erected in 1898 and Antony Road was widened.

The council application said: "This lantern required replacement as the existing lantern is obsolete and we are no longer able to maintain it."

It said the project will "bring the lighting up to the current standard, allow for remote control and remove the obsolete equipment".

The council said the proposed replacement lamp is a heritage lantern, "will not visually impact the look of the listed structure" and will "provide better lighting".

Sir Reginald Pole Carew's relative Tremayne Carew Pole said any replacement lamp "must preserve – not merely approximate – the character and authenticity" of the original.

He added the lamp is listed "specifically because of its artistic and historic importance – not because of its utility as a light source".

There is also a petition against the move and Torpoint Town Council "strongly" objected to the application, the LDRS said.

Barry Mumford felt the plan was "outrageous" and added the lamp has illuminated the war memorial to Torpoint residents who "made the ultimate sacrifice".

He said it would be "sacrilegious" to replace it.

Malcolm Bassett-Smith described the lamp as "an electronic beacon drawing people in to give thought to the history and past generations of Torpoint as well as the generosity of the Pole Carew family".

He said: "You can't replace history with a bit of tat," adding that residents have offered to pay to refurbish it.

Lisa Matthews said "it represents a place of quiet reflection and connection to those we have lost."

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