Carting Lane Sewer Lamp
the lamp london nicknamed farting lane
A genuine Victorian street lamp off the Strand, historically fuelled by methane drawn from the sewers below, earning a rude nickname.
Free to visit · Strand · Charing Cross · WC2R 0DW
Opening: Viewable any time, lit at night
Down a steep little lane beside the Savoy Hotel stands a curiosity unique in London, a Webb Patent Sewer Gas Destructor Lamp. Designed in the Victorian age to deal with the smelly and explosive gases building up in the sewers, the lamp drew up methane and burned it off, helpfully lighting the street at the same time.
Inevitably, Londoners nicknamed the spot Farting Lane. The original was damaged and faithfully restored, and it still glows there today. It is free to find, gloriously silly and genuinely ingenious, a perfect example of Victorian problem-solving turned into a beloved oddity.
Getting there: On Carting Lane, a steep alley off the Strand beside the Savoy, near Charing Cross.
Best time to go: After dark to see it glowing, on a walk near the Savoy.
Insider tip: Come after dark to see it actually lit, glowing in its narrow alley behind the Savoy. It is the last working sewer gas lamp of its kind in London, so it is a genuine one-of-a-kind to tick off.
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide