Provost's lamp (122 Earlbank Avenue)

Unusually lovely, out-of-the-ordinary lamp-posts, with decorative flourishes and historic detail, crop up here and there amongst the more municipal, boring ones. These intriguing lamps – some are attached to buildings, rather than mounted on posts – are a reminder of an old Scottish tradition. As the Lord/Lady Provost had no official residence in Glasgow, it became a tradition to place a pair of lamp posts at their personal residence This tradition used to be observed throughout Scotland and originated from the practice of lighting lamps at the homes of bailies, or civic officials. The gas-lit lamps bore the burgh or city coat of arms and highlighted where people could find the bailies if they needed them. During the twentieth century, the gas-lit lamps were replaced with electric ones, and could be installed above tenement doors or on flats