Lamp; Group of 4 wax fog flares, from L.C.C. Tramways feeder pillar at Herne Hill, circa 1962

Until the Clean Air Act of 1956, London was regularly enveloped by thick fogs caused by industrial pollution and domestic coal fires. Wax fog flares like these, which burned for about one and a half hours, were used to help guide bus and tram drivers through the dense smog. Conductors often had to walk in front of the bus or along the kerb - sometimes for many miles - holding a fog flare to direct the bus. These flares were taken from a London County Council Tramways feeder pillar at Herne Hill in south London.