Ancient Lights – the right to daylight

You've probably spotted some strange signs here and which read ANCIENT LIGHTS such as this one in Newman Passage:

I am befuddled as to why the two words are rendered in different letterform – 

ANCIENT (SANS) / LIGHTS (SERIF)

But, what do signs like this signify? A friend suggested that perhaps this was an advertisement for old shop where oil lamps or candles could be purchased. I explained, no, signs like this signify that the owner of the building is aware of a 'right to light' law which prevent the construction of tall buildings adjacent to their property that would effectively block out any available daylight. The word 'ancient' alludes to it being an old law.

You might well have spotted another good example in the Fitzrovia zone behind Goodge Street Station in Whitfield Street:

There is a trio of Ancient Lights signs on the north facing walls of Albermarle Way, Clerkenwell, best viewed from the garden at St John's church. I was lucky to get up close to the signs during Clerkenwell Design Week in 2025:

In Westminster there's a lovely example in Rochester Street (screen shot from Google Maps):

There's also another one in Brydges Place, that little alley that is often mis-appropriated as being the narrowest passageway (well, if you measure the very top section, I suppose!). The sign here is hard to spot, let alone adhere to, being as it crowded by pipes and whatnot. You can just make it out above and between the lantern and air con unit in this Google Maps snap:

Check it out next time you are enjoying a beer at The Harp. 

Easier to photograph is the one in Soho's Chinatown at the back of the Blue Posts pub in Rupert Court:

The six locations above have often been written about by other Londonphiles but I have spotted some other examples in less obvious places and, having googled (other search engines are available), I can see that they are rarely mentioned, if at all...

First, to Priory Walk near The Boltons in Chelsea, near to that Royal Mail postbox that is being smothered by a plane tree at the junction with Drayton Gardens.

What's so strange about this particular sign is that it is at shoulder height. I only spotted it four years ago, which is ridiculous seeing as I have been walking along this street for decades and simply hadn't noticed it. Therefore, the notice isn't being noticed. I was finally made aware of it whilst leading my Agatha Christie walking tour (she lived round the corner) – an attendee asked me what Ancient Lights meant and I assumed that he was alluding to a sign that I did know about on the other side of the road high up on the back of a house:

Duh!  As we often say, these things are all hiding in plain view! These signs hark back either to the 1870s when Chelsea was quickly evolving at that time from farmland into wealthy residential streets or during the 1930s when flatted developments were popping up bigger and taller than ever before. I wrote about these signs and other observations in this area back in 2024.

Staying in the LBK&C, I discovered anotherAncient Lights sign last year whilst leading the same guided walk. It starts near Notting Hill Gate and we were for a brief time stood here at the corner of Kensington Place as I talked to the group about how the corner of Kensington Church Street is being renovated. The building on the opposite corner to Savills had been demolished and this gave a clear view to Newcomen Street where I happened to notice another Ancient Lights sign on the side of the old Baptist church:

From outside to inside... the next sign can be found within the Royal Society of Arts, John Adam Street, WC2, on what was once the rear north-facing wall of a building that has since become an internal wall that surrounds a staircase:

I also spotted this next one from from the top deck of a 263 bus heading south along Finchley Road:

 

The following screenshot from Google Maps shows there are actually two signs on the side of that building which is one of a pair of gatehouses at the entrance to St Pancras Cemetery: 

My final share is of a sign I spotted back in November 2010 during a tour of The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Hyde Park:

There are two fire escapes like this on each side of the building but I'm pretty sure that my photo shows the east-facing wall as shown here on Google Maps. It's likely that I snapped the pic from the outdoor terrace on that side. I will have another look next time I am in the vicinity to see if this stencilled sign is still visible/there at all. 

Actually, that's a thought... it's interesting that these signs have remained when everything changes around them to the point that their meaning becomes redundant, especially so in the case of the ICA stairwell where the metal landing almost obliterates the old sign. It suggests to me that these old signs have legal requirements and need to remain in situ. 

If you have any further info or can point me to any other Ancient Lights signs, please do let me know.