Stretchers (why they've taken down the fence made of old WW2 stretchers)

[andcharall]

Anyone know why they've taken down the fence made of old WW2 stretchers, alongside the flats on DKH? They were in the paper recently - coincidence?

[shelly2106]

Hi,

Its a long story, they were found to be leaking lead particles, we managed to fight to keep some near the payless but unfortunately they could not upkeep the rest.

My friend has done a blog if your interested, its sad but I suppose that's how it goes now we have to put up with uncontrollable hedges!! There are some places in Camberwell where they do have the fences still and they have been better maintained

[edhistory]

Steel railings leaking lead particles?

How does that work?

[betternowthanthen]

Please can you kindly share the blog?, I was very upset to see them just go without any info that they were, and hope they will be replaced with replica's, or something like that, to keep the history side of things and was a good story to tell people new to the area!

Sad it is.

[Penguin68]

Steel railings leaking lead particles?

How does that work?

I imagine they were painted with a lead-based paint - very common once (particularly white lead) and a quite good coating for steel, although zinc galvanising would have been better - and this had started to flake. Lead paint flakes were a far more common source of environmental lead poisoning in urban areas than tetra-ethyl lead used as an anti-knock fuel additive. Proper treatment would have been to remove the railings, burn off the paint in a controlled atmosphere and re-paint - pretty expensive - burning off in the open would have spread the lead particulates. So probably not worth the expense. Sad.

[shelly2106]

Penguin68 you're absolutely right, its in the paint. I will shared the blog, there is a group as well. I am not sure about some kind of information notice on the ones near the payless but that could be a good idea, we are also quite disappointed about the removal of the ones by the dentist as we were promised these would stay so am in the middle of writing a letter to the council

[fleur]

Take a look at this "Help us to discover Lambeth?s stretcher railings!" http://love.lambeth.gov.uk/lambeths-stretcher-railings/

Lambeth Council: Culture and community > Planning and regeneration

The newly-formed Stretcher Railing Society are looking to identify and save the stretcher railing fences for future generations.

[edhistory]

Thanks Penguin68

There also appears to be a problem with the railing posts too.

Penguin68 Wrote:

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> Steel railings leaking lead particles?

>

> How does that work?

>

> I imagine they were painted with a lead-based

> paint [...]

[Lynne]

Obviously they were far more dangerous on a busy main road than, say, particles from cars or planes. I don't know how locals have survived for so long.