The fascinating story behind Beverley's last Victorian freestanding 'stink pipe'

The stink pipe by the Cherry Tree Lane crossing has a distinctive crown

Most people would pass by it without a glance, maybe thinking it's a disused lamp post.

But researcher Kloskk Tyrer thinks this piece of Victorian street furniture in Beverley is worthy of more than a cursory glance, as they once played – and this one still does play – an important role.

The tall, cast iron pipe which stands near the level crossing on Cherry Tree Lane was part of a network placed at intervals along the line of the main sewer routes constructed in the nineteenth century.

Their job was to vent noxious gases, releasing them high above people's heads so they wouldn't smell the foul smell from the sewer below. Not only were the gases smelly, but they were also very flammable.

A decorative stink pipe on Woodgates Lane between North Ferriby and Swanland in East Yorkshire

Sheffield once had 80 of these stink or stench pipes. 25 now remain, of which 20 are Grade II listed.

There are still a number of old Victorian stink pipes attached to houses in Beverley, but the one at Cherry Tree Lane is the last free-standing pipe. Yorkshire Water has confirmed it is still operational.

Modern arrangements are more discrete, with the stench pipe, with a one-way valve, usually hidden behind a stud wall.

Kloskk, who works for East Riding Council’s museums service, said Beverley’s last free-standing stench pipe isn’t the prettiest – but it does have a crown at the top.

Its base is inscribed with the maker’s name - Adams Hydraulics Ltd, York.

The company was founded in 1885 and based at King’s Pool, opposite Foss Islands Road in York and was one of the city’s most famous manufacturers making specialist equipment for the water and sewage industry.

Stink pipes were first installed in response to the Great Stink - the hot summer of 1858, which elevated London’s unpleasant pong to an unbearable level.

As the heat increased, centuries of waste in the Thames began to ferment.

Engineer Joseph Bazalgette was given £3m to design and build a proper sewage system, while Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, a Victorian inventor was asked to do something about the smell. His pipe ventilation system was a simple way to get rid of the fumes

Kloskk said: “There is very little industrial heritage left in Beverley now. All traces of the two tanneries, the shipyard on the River Hull, Armstrong’s shock absorber factory, the ropery and industry along the Beverley Beck have all been swept away and replaced with new developments.

“Wouldn’t it be great if this ignored industrial remnant from the past could be given a listed status or, at the very least, a lick of paint?”