While watching TV one-eyed with my wife while preparing the next note for this blog, I heard on Saturday in a documentary on Coco Chanel that the street lamps in London were marked CC and W, which would have meant (according to rumors) CoCo Chanel and the Duke of Westminster. Obviously this type of hagiographic “documentary” should be taken with a certain distance!
To try to find out for sure, I asked the generative artificial intelligence (AI) Perplexity.ai in pro mode: “Why are there a W and two Cs intertwined on the street lamps? of London?” The answer in italics below shows that, if AI is sometimes used to generate misleading information, it can help put into perspective certain romanticized assertions from “documentaries” served by the RTS.
The basic answer from Perplexity.ai
London’s lampposts emblazoned with an intertwined W and two Cs have long been the subject of romantic urban legend, but the reality is more prosaic.
The W does indeed represent “Westminster”, but not the Duke of Westminster as legend would have it. This is simply the City of Westminster, the London borough where these street lamps are located.
«City Council»
As for the two intertwined Cs, they do not refer to Coco Chanel, despite their resemblance to the logo of the famous fashion brand. In reality, these initials mean “City Council” [1] [2].
This explanation was confirmed by Martin Low, Transport Commissioner for the City of Westminster, who said: “The stylized W stands for Westminster and the two Cs stand for City Council. The street lights were only installed in the 1950s.”[2][5]
Classic municipal design
Although less romantic, this explanation puts an end to the legend according to which the Duke of Westminster had the initials of his mistress Coco Chanel affixed to the city’s lampposts to declare his love for her. In reality, these streetlights were installed well after their connection ended in the 1930s [5].
So, despite their elegant appearance which could evoke a luxury brand, these street lamps are simply the result of a classic municipal design, combining the initials of the city and its council [6].
L’opinion de ChatGPT o1Pro
To try to find certainty, I also questioned ChatGPT o1 Pro, optimal reasoning mode. The answer below in italics.
On candelabras and other street furniture in central London, the interweaving of a “W” and two “Cs” simply corresponds to the signature of Westminster City Council.
The ‘W’ stands for Westminster, while the two ‘C’s stand for City Council. These initials are affixed to indicate that the lamp post (or element of street furniture) is owned and under the management of the local authority of Westminster, one of the most emblematic areas of the British capital.
Note that when asked about the sources used, the Gemini 2.0 and ChatGPT AIs do not provide a decisive link. The two AIs refer each in their own way to the official website of the City of Westminster Council westminster.gov.uk, without providing any decisive information. Below are the sources given by Perplexity.ai. To meditate.
Stay critical!
Xavier Studer
Citations:
[1] https://londonist.com/2016/07/can-you-really-find-the-coco-chanel-logo-on-london-s-lamp-posts
[2] https://memoirsofametrogirl.com/2013/02/21/myth-of-the-coco-chanel-lampposts-city-of-westminster-street-lights/
[3] https://curiousrambler.co m/deux-lampadaires-london/
[4] https://www.frieze.com/article/chanel-lamppost
[5] https://www.ldnfashion.com/features/chanel-lampposts-romantic-legend-or-urban-myth/
[6] https://lookup.london/coco-chanel-westminster-lamppost/
[7] https://footprintsoflondon.com/live/2015/04/here-be-dolphins-or-sturgeons/
[8] https://adam-yamey-writes.com/2022/02/11/one-street-with-two-lampposts/
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