A lamppost made in Wellington about 100 years ago has returned to the site of its manufacture.

In the early 20th Century Wellington had two iron foundries, Ford Brothers in Mantle Street and Bishop Brothers in North Street. They both made cast iron lampposts with their company name cast in.

Unfortunately, no Ford Brothers examples are left in public spaces but a couple of Bishop Brothers ones can still be seen around the town, including one in Clifford Terrace.

Now the town has another working example – in the driveway to Bishop’s Court, built on the site of the Bishop Brothers’ foundry in North Street.

This lamppost became available for relocation from its former position in a private garden in the summer of 2015. Several expressions of interest were received and it was finally agreed that the offer from the house manager at Bishop’s Court, Chris Llewellyn, should be accepted. Unfortunately, the project to install the post came to a halt when, quite unexpectedly, Mr Llewellyn died early in 2016.

But a group of Bishop’s Court residents, headed by Sue Brown, Sue Troake and Pam Clarke, decided they would complete the project in memory of the house manager of whom they had fond memories.

The group had the post refurbished – this included replacing the lantern, which was not original anyway, and fixing the access door – and then the post was repainted, erected and connected to the electricity supply.

The post, now in full working order and in public view from North Street, is illuminating the Bishop’s Court driveway. It contains a time capsule with a few items of 2016 memorabilia – a coin, a poem, a photograph and a Co-op shopping list.

The residents have also attached a plaque recording the reason for the lamppost’s installation. Funding for the project came from sources including Bridgwater Rugby Club, with whom Mr Llewellyn was associated, the Bishop’s Court Social Fund, donations from residents and work by Nigel Millett.