The Friends of Frome’s Valentine’s Lamp group are writing a book to document the history of the town’s beloved romantic landmark.
The historic gas lamp, located at the top of Catherine Hill, is the centrepiece of the annual Valentine’s Day Ceremony, a tradition that has been running for over 30 years.
Each year, the ceremony revolves around the lighting of the Cockey lamp, a duty performed by Frome stalwart Reg Ling, who originally restored and installed the lamp. This year, however, Reg, 93, will pass on the ceremonial role to local resident Eddie Young after more than three decades.
“The book will feature chapters exploring a history of the Valentine Lamp and Reg Ling’s stories setting it up,” explained Beverly, one of the Friends who is writing the book.
The lamp is known as a traditional Cockey lamp, designed and manufactured by the Cockey family, a local metalworking firm in Frome. It originally stood at the bottom of Catherine Hill before being removed.
Reg salvaged the lamp in 1993 after spotting it in a skip. Taking it back to his workshop near the Sun Inn on Catherine Street, he restored it and merged it with a 1930s Royal Mail King George V post box. He then commissioned a local artist to decorate the lamp before dedicating it to Valentine’s Day. “It was a project that took over me,” Reg said.
Beverly, who is helping to write the book, says it will include significant moments in the lamp’s history, including its feature on BBC Points West in 2017. It will also cover the tradition of poetry readings at the lamp, the history of Cockey lamps in Frome, and this year’s ceremonial handover to the new lamplighter, Eddie Young.
She also hopes to record Reg’s memories at this year’s ceremony and create podcasts for the Friends of the Valentine’s Lamp website.
“Time is obviously of the essence now, as Reg is 93,” she said. “We plan to make the book available in local shops, the museum, the town hall, Discover Frome and online.”
This year’s ceremony will be held on Friday 14th February. A firework will be launched at 5.30pm to summon residents to the lamp. There will be mulled wine, fruit and an accordion player. The ceremony will start at 6pm featuring the lamplighter in traditional costume, the town crier and three poets.
For more information about the Friends group and the lamp visit fromevalentinelamp.co.uk.
Pictured: Reg handing lamp-lighting duties to Eddie
