At the top of Catherine Hill, in the heart of the artisan quarter of Frome, is an unusual gas lamp – the world’s only Valentine’s Lamp. Reg Ling is the man behind this very special attraction. Reg used intention, creativity and, most importantly, love, to install this amazing lamp.
Symbols of Love
The lamp has a white background and this is a symbol of purity. It stands in a heart-shaped bed of tulips, which was earliest tokens of love, used to impress a young lady. The tulips also appear at the bottom of the lamp post itself. Then, as your eyes move up the column of the lamp, you see the Tudor rose. These are wild roses – like love – you can’t plan it – it happens or it doesn’t.
The blue ‘mushroom’ shape around the pole, represents the male. Again this is intentional – as with a mushroom, love suddenly appears. The feature representing the girl appears as a gentle reflection of the letter box onto the white of the column. You can only just see the pink.
The Rose and the Ring
Further up you will see the rose which is a modern token of love. Around the back you will see the thorns of the rose. It is important to retain the thorns because, according to Reg, “You have to take care in love or you will get hurt”.
The first love commitment appears as a gold ring. Again, around the back you will see two blood red hearts more clearly. These represents blood, fertility and the union of the boy and girl to produce the next generation. The two hearts are back to back on the lamp. Reg believes that “in love, when you stand back to back you support each other. You commit to supporting the love in your life”.
Cupid
At the very top of the lantern is cupid’s arrow. The arrow is on the east compass setting, towards the rising sun, which is a symbol of creation. Forged with gold leaf (for surity) the arrowhead, sets our course for commitment – that’s the intention. The green on the lamp is the British standard green, same as the bollards. This is ‘working green’ as the lamp is the working feature.
Beautiful Women
And the gas light in the lantern? This is important because gas lighting is romantic. It has been this way since before the Victorian era. A woman was not beautiful if she had colour on her cheeks. The peasant girl, outside, working the fields, had pink ruddy cheeks. She could be pretty, but not beautiful. Only the aristocratic lady, who didn’t have to work in the field and therefore had pale skin, could be beautiful. They took all precautions to prevent getting ruddy cheeks in and outside the home such as installing shields around the fire places. Having colour in a ladies’s face would lower her status.
Gas light and moonlight have a similar spectrum and are thus both able to pale the skin down. They both make us more ‘beautiful, not pretty’ (there is of course a subtle difference). And thus, is generally associated with love and romance.
Post Box for Valentine’s Letters
You will also notice a post box physically attached to the lamp post. The only time you post a letter, for romance, is on Valentine’s Day. If you take the post box off, or you remove the gas light this wouldn’t be a Valentine lamp. It might be a decorative, pretty lamp, but it wouldn’t be a Valentine lamp.
The Bench
Below the dedication on the wall, the Tudor rose appears on the bench . On the plaque you will notice that the site, and not the lamp, has been dedicated to St Valentine. Nothing lasts forever and the lamp may not be there forever, but the site lasts as long as the earth does – it is a geographic position. And nobody is excluded from finding love – this lamp is dedicated to everyone!
The Valentine’s Lamp is Born
There is a plaque further down Catherine Hill on the left where the lamp had its original location. The lamp didn’t have a head on it and it was taken out of action when they repaved Catherine Hill. It would’ve been scrapped, but Reg asked if he could have it. The Community Association asked him what he was going to do with it. He had no idea, so he thought he would set it up as a lamp again. But an electric lamp was boring and after a call to British Gas to ask if they would install a gas connection, Reg decided this had to be a gas lamp.
It took Reg a year to finalise the dedication and the ceremony. After over 25 years he now needs someone tall to take over. The person has to be able to reach the lamp with the lamp lighter’s pole which Reg got hold of after the local museum collapsed and had it restored. Luckily the lamp lighter’s pole was the exact length needed for this lamp.
Reg kept the lamp covered until it was completely finished. He was worried the local council would disapprove of his art work. He had a big sheet around it and at the unveiling he produced a rocket, pulled out a pin, which created a cascade and releases a gravity weight to drop the sheet.
Reg Ling
Reg describes himself as a designer with a romantic streak (he has written some wonderful poetry too). He has managed to restore, run and keep the lamp in good order all these years. He does say he is lucky to get a pension of £111 a week from the state ‘for doing very little’. And he uses his pension and funds given to him by ‘kind people’, to ensure this special Valentine’s lamp does not fall into disrepair.
Every year at 5:30pm Reg sets off the rocket and at 6:00pm, he comes down the stairs to start the lighting ceremony. He is always delighted to see people gathered, showing an interest in his Valentine’s lamp. With some mulled wine and fruit gifts for the children, it is a wonderful evening for all on Valentine’s Day.
Frome is proud, not only of the talented Reg Ling, but also to be the home of the only gas lamp in Somerset and the only Valentine’s lamp in the world!
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