HERITAGE lamps along the Sandbanks seawall are set to be revamped for the first time since being installed 128 years ago.
The project follows two years of negotiations by The Society for Poole, a group aiming to save and support local history and culture.
It has been granted £42,000 by BCP Council to fund the first phase of restoring the heritage lamps.
Phase one will remove five columns and strip them back to their original cast iron bases.
During the initial phase, which is predicted to last around one month, 20 of the ironwork dolphin tails will be repaired and repainted before being re-erected onto the bases.
The Society for Poole, working alongside BCP Council, has contracted Ironworks of Distinction to do the works, a local blacksmith with skills in restoring cast iron.
BCP Council will be upgrading the electronics and lamp units as part of the long-term programme to renovate all 20 columns over the coming years.
The heritage lamps run from the bottom of Evening Hill in Sandbanks, Poole, and round the bay to Sandacres Tesco.
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Mike Pearce, chairman of the society, said: “The lights, which were originally installed in 1895 along the sea wall, are an iconic part of the harbour shore and feature in many images over the past 128 years.
“It is therefore fitting that they should be restored to their former glory and again correctly frame the approach to Sandbanks.
“The project is a long-term programme to cover all 20 of the columns and lights.
“Many people will note that for eight years there was a gap where a yacht had damaged a couple of the columns.
“Unfortunately, the first column was replaced with soft aluminium rather than the original cast iron, and the second one, which was only installed a few months ago, was put together from the broken bits of the damaged columns and is not a true reflection of the quality of the original.
“Both will therefore have to be fully replaced when we get to them.”
The Society for Poole has previously worked on Scaplen’s Court and supported local events to raise money for charities and organisations in Poole.
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