DEBATE over Campden’s street lighting rumbled on 50 years ago.

The Journal of 1960 reported: “A special parish meeting at Chipping Campden reversed an earlier decision to convert half the street lights in the town from gas to electricity, and decided to continue using the existing gas lights, adding extra gas lamps where necessary.

“Those who opposed the electric lighting did so chiefly because they felt it would mar the beauty of Campden’s incomparable High Street, though the question of cost was also mentioned.

“Those who favoured new lights did so on the grounds of improving road safety and because, in their opinion, electricity would be cheaper than gas in the long run.

“Captain G E Coles, chairman of the parish council, who presided, said that at the annual parish meeting last March it was decided to convert 36 of the 73 existing street lights from gas to electricity at a cost of £1,080.

“However, the MEB had omitted to quote the connecting-up charge of £200 and had not stated that the existing gas lights were unsuitable for conversion to electricity. ‘You can now rescind your last resolution, because you were misled accidentally as regards the price, which will now be in the region of £2,000, and as regards using your existing standards,” he said.”