Seen a Dolphin in the Thames? Story behind the lamps on the
Thames Embankment Many capital cities around the world have a
river running through them. However, when it comes to the
Thames, one thing that makes it so recognisable is the striking
Victorian lamps lining the Embankment. The street lighting in
question are called the ‘Dolphin lamps’, but actually appear to
be sturgeon fish. Prior to Victorian times, the Thames was a lot
wider in the centre of town, but was slimmed down by the
building of the Victoria Embankment on the north side in the
late 19th century. Sir Joseph Bazelgette came up with a scheme
to reclaim some 22 acres of marshland and built a new road and
sewage system for the rapidly expanding capital. While this
transformed the city, it also meant many riverside buildings
were demolished, such as York House. Building of the Victoria
and Chelsea Embankment meant Londoners had somewhere new to
stroll beside the river so of course, some attractive new street
lighting would be required. Step forw