Designed by railway engineer John Peake Knight, this signal wasn't just functional—it was a piece of Victorian civic art. The cast-iron column featured elaborate gilded acanthus leaves and a decorative pineapple finial, a symbol of hospitality. It required constant manual operation by a police constable who would turn a gas valve and shift semaphore arms. The explosion in January 1869, likely caused by a faulty gas line, wasn't just a technical failure; it created such public wariness that Londo