What do the signs "Ancient Lights" mean?
Question
I’m a police officer in Westminster and walk around in the old alley ways of Soho a lot. And about 15ft up, there are some old signs saying “Ancient Lights”. What do they mean?Hannah, Sidcup
Answer
** Definitive **
Name: Darren, Bexley
Qualification: My Grandad told me years and years ago
Answer: The Ancient Lights signs are above or below windows. If a resident has been in the property for more than 20 years, the sign is put up to ensure that no building can be erected to block the light. No building can change the natural illumination of the window once that sign is in place. It’s from the Rights To Light Act of 1832.
Name: Dave, Grays
Qualification: I was around in the old days!
Answer: Years ago, they put the sign up if there was going to be a building erected in front of it that would block out the lights to that building. It’s related to Window Tax years ago.