A 1914 electricity substation pillar in Kingswood, Surrey, has been restored and returned to the village green following specialist conservation work.
The Grade II listed, 1.5-tonne cast-iron structure, known locally as the “Jolly Green Giant”, was removed in December and taken to a specialist workshop in East London. There, deteriorating paint, corrosion and rust were treated before the pillar was repainted.
The restoration was funded by UK Power Networks, which owns the decommissioned substation.
Originally built to house a transformer supplying electricity to the Kingswood North estate, the pillar dates from the early expansion of domestic electricity in Britain, when access to the power network was still limited. Records cited by UK Power Networks indicate that fewer than 6% of British homes had electricity around the time it was installed.
Historic England has listed the structure for its special historic interest as a surviving example of early electricity infrastructure. Such equipment is rarely preserved as listed heritage, making the pillar an unusual reminder of the physical infrastructure behind the first expansion of domestic power networks.
The restoration also included replacing later 20th-century light fittings with period-style street lamps. The pillar remains an important part of the local community: in 2020, the Kingswood North Estate Company incorporated it into its logo.
UK Power Networks surveyor Emma Machin, who led the project, said the restoration demonstrated how early electricity infrastructure could be preserved as part of a community’s built heritage.
The restored pillar now stands on the village green, continuing to serve as a streetlight while providing a visible link to the area’s early electrification.
