Dose anybody know where I can get hold of some very plain, authentic looking “goose neck” gas wall lamps either singles or twins, reproduction or originals converted to electric or even unconverted originals. I need at least eight fittings. I’ve Googled all the websites and all the reproductions look a bit fake or a bit bling and ornate. The best examples I’ve found so far are the Flemish variety from the Stove centre:- http://www.stovecentre.co.uk/Lighting/traditional/period.htm but they are only prepared to sell their lights locally and will not entertain mail order in any way. Consequently despite my pleading, they’ve turned me away. Help please, I need to light my old Baptist chapel and I’m trying to be as authentic as possible i.e. the light fittings would have been very plain and austere and without the baroque decoration or elements of embellishment that all of the repro’s seem to have.
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Where can I find some old gas lamp wall fittings
- Thread starter michael
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Nemesis
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I have a couple of originals and I agree that authentic ones are very plain.
I presume you've tried Christopher Wray and Fritz Fryer?
I presume you've tried Christopher Wray and Fritz Fryer?
Nemesis
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http://www.christopherwray.com/
http://www.fritzfryer.co.uk/
There are others - have you tried the ads in the back of the period prop mags?
http://www.fritzfryer.co.uk/
There are others - have you tried the ads in the back of the period prop mags?
I found the appropriate sites for Christopher Wray and Fritz Fryer. Many thanks. Unfortunately, a bit out of my price league. Christopher Wray “is price on application” which suggests expensive and a couple of examples on the Fritz Fryer site - £725 for a pair of heavy gas wall brackets with shades and £520 for a pair of simple copper gas wall brackets with shades. 2 to 3 grand for my eight simple gas wall lights sounds a bit steep.
Nemesis
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I have bought from Wray in the past - repro - and not found it prohibituve.
essexbearhunter
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Yoiu could try Broughtons of Leicester (actually based in an old cinema at Anstey, just north of Leicester).
I gave them a try when looking for a bell pull and was really impressed by the quality of the brass and ironware that they sold.
They have simple Swan-necked lights from £94..and do postal sales. More than just a retailer, they sell refurbished originals of some lines and commission new castings taken from original moulds on others.
http://www.broughtons.com
I gave them a try when looking for a bell pull and was really impressed by the quality of the brass and ironware that they sold.
They have simple Swan-necked lights from £94..and do postal sales. More than just a retailer, they sell refurbished originals of some lines and commission new castings taken from original moulds on others.
http://www.broughtons.com
Ushy M
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There are some nice plain styles available from Jim Lawrence - not too expensive either.
jim-lawrence.co.uk
jim-lawrence.co.uk
Thanks everybody. You’ve all been really helpful. Love the Broughtons site for the authenticity of its fittings. I usually rummage through car boot sales looking for this type of thing. Last summer I found one original unconverted goose neck fitting without shade and paid one pound for it. Needless to say I’m a bit shocked by the prices they want for these things nowadays. I guess I am going to have to be prepared to pay up to £800 for my eight fittings rather than eight pounds.
Nemesis
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period lighting
as a google search brings up quite a few hits, here's another useful looking site:
http://www.periodlightingshop.com/page.php?Pid=3&gclid=CLabmPmBmZICFRlgMAodSndn6w
Reasonable prices, although the necks of the wall lights are possibly not long enough?
http://www.periodlightingshop.com/shop/items_P.php?Pid=3&Ct1=6&id=90&cat=&IMid=B&IMGid=76&IT=1
Useful accessories, especially the wooden bits, which finish things off well.
More here:
http://www.period-lighting.co.uk/list.asp?L=24-WB&Page=2
as a google search brings up quite a few hits, here's another useful looking site:
http://www.periodlightingshop.com/page.php?Pid=3&gclid=CLabmPmBmZICFRlgMAodSndn6w
Reasonable prices, although the necks of the wall lights are possibly not long enough?
http://www.periodlightingshop.com/shop/items_P.php?Pid=3&Ct1=6&id=90&cat=&IMid=B&IMGid=76&IT=1
Useful accessories, especially the wooden bits, which finish things off well.
More here:
http://www.period-lighting.co.uk/list.asp?L=24-WB&Page=2
Andrew Bodenham
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We hacd some rather nice repro fittings from Stiffkey Lamp Shop, who I highly recommend for quality of products and service.
http://www.stiffkeylampshop.co.uk/
http://www.stiffkeylampshop.co.uk/
vicky whitworth
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Try Exeter Antique Lighting on the Quay - cellar 15 http://www.antiquelighting.com
It's like a sweetie shop of the most fantastic, beautiful period lighting and not too expensive when you consider the beauty of old glass shades compared to modern bling, brass effect.
Could be worth a long weekend in Devon to visit the South Molton Stove Centre at the same time. There's also a period lighting stall in Topsham Antique Centre.
It's like a sweetie shop of the most fantastic, beautiful period lighting and not too expensive when you consider the beauty of old glass shades compared to modern bling, brass effect.
Could be worth a long weekend in Devon to visit the South Molton Stove Centre at the same time. There's also a period lighting stall in Topsham Antique Centre.
another_richard
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Little off topic...
So how were they fed gas then?
I have noticed in our house there is a line on the wall leading down from the ceiling and the circular mark and wall where the (lead?) pipe must have come down from the ceiling also, yet on the websites the pipe appears to be hidden int'wall. (very long sentence I know).
So how were they fed gas then?
I have noticed in our house there is a line on the wall leading down from the ceiling and the circular mark and wall where the (lead?) pipe must have come down from the ceiling also, yet on the websites the pipe appears to be hidden int'wall. (very long sentence I know).
Nemesis
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I think that early ones pointed upwards ... originally they were flames without mantles.
http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/lighting/lighting.htm
Obviously, a downward facing light with a shade would not dirty the ceiling as rapidly.
I also suspect that gas which was an addition to a building was usually put into surface mounted conduit, but later lighting may have had the pipes buried in the wall. When I was young the people next door still only had gas lighting. I even think we may have had when I was tiny - certainly I do recall the street lamps being gas and the lamplighter coming round!
That's off the top of my head as my lighting book is somewhere in a tottering pile ... I may or may not come across it soon...
http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/light98/light98.htm
http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/antiquelight/antiquelight.htm
All these gas light fittings and the early incandescent mantles had to point upwards directing the light towards the ceiling and away from where the light was needed most, and it was not until 1897 that the gas mantle was adapted to burn downwards - a useful event to remember when dating gas fittings.
http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/lighting/lighting.htm
Obviously, a downward facing light with a shade would not dirty the ceiling as rapidly.
I also suspect that gas which was an addition to a building was usually put into surface mounted conduit, but later lighting may have had the pipes buried in the wall. When I was young the people next door still only had gas lighting. I even think we may have had when I was tiny - certainly I do recall the street lamps being gas and the lamplighter coming round!
That's off the top of my head as my lighting book is somewhere in a tottering pile ... I may or may not come across it soon...
http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/light98/light98.htm
http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/antiquelight/antiquelight.htm
I’m now trying to establish whether my property had upward pointing gas wall lights or downward pointing lights.
I’ve been reviewing the information supplied by Nemesis Re:- http://www.buildingconservation.com/art ... ghting.htm which suggests:-
(a) Few homes were lit by gas between 1816 – 1866. Gas became fashionable once Houses of parliament were lit by gas in 1859, so fashionable town houses constructed in the 1860’s often had central ceiling hung pendant gas lights with ventilation grille above disguised in the deep recesses of the ceiling rose.
(b) Gas mantel adapted to burn downwards in 1897
In my case, I live in an old Baptist chapel in which a commemoration plaque suggests that the first service was held in 1817(one year after invention of gas lights).
Having delved around the building for the last four years, I have found evidence to suggest that major alterations and additions were made in about 1880. (pre gas mantel)
The gas pipe work is still there under the floor although this is now redundant and at the points where there were once wall gas lights, there are still pipes buried in the wall.This suggests that they were not an after thought as it is not surface mounted pipe work. (Slightly puzzling this if it was not an addition)
The ceiling hung lights, now electric, have large ceiling rose type ventilation grilles above and in the loft space there are large “tin plate” ventilation ducts carrying the fumes from the ceiling roses out through the roof. The ceiling rose ventilation suggests post 1860 so it’s hard to understand what was done between 1817 (when the first service was held) and post 1860 when ventilation ceiling roses were introduced. This would have been a major refurbishment on the 1817 building probably incorporating new roof, new very large ceiling roses, new gas and new lighting installations. I do know that a front extension to the building and new balconies were also installed around 1880.so obviously a very major refurbishment project.
I have one existing wall fitting in a small anti room. This is a horizontal arm which swivels from left to right and the burner points upwards.
Assessing all the above, I think it’s safe to assume that the original gas wall lights would have been pre mantel (pre 1897) and therefore all pointing upwards. Would you agree?
P.S I’ve got a cardboard box full of odds and ends that I have retrieved from around the building and I’ve suddenly realised that I have some of the components of the anti vibrator burner detailed in the section “Edwardian developments” on http://www.buildingconservation.com/art ... elight.htm namely the opaque glass shade and the ceramic shell type top. The diagram is dated 1907-8 so these must have been much later additions to my property
I’ve been reviewing the information supplied by Nemesis Re:- http://www.buildingconservation.com/art ... ghting.htm which suggests:-
(a) Few homes were lit by gas between 1816 – 1866. Gas became fashionable once Houses of parliament were lit by gas in 1859, so fashionable town houses constructed in the 1860’s often had central ceiling hung pendant gas lights with ventilation grille above disguised in the deep recesses of the ceiling rose.
(b) Gas mantel adapted to burn downwards in 1897
In my case, I live in an old Baptist chapel in which a commemoration plaque suggests that the first service was held in 1817(one year after invention of gas lights).
Having delved around the building for the last four years, I have found evidence to suggest that major alterations and additions were made in about 1880. (pre gas mantel)
The gas pipe work is still there under the floor although this is now redundant and at the points where there were once wall gas lights, there are still pipes buried in the wall.This suggests that they were not an after thought as it is not surface mounted pipe work. (Slightly puzzling this if it was not an addition)
The ceiling hung lights, now electric, have large ceiling rose type ventilation grilles above and in the loft space there are large “tin plate” ventilation ducts carrying the fumes from the ceiling roses out through the roof. The ceiling rose ventilation suggests post 1860 so it’s hard to understand what was done between 1817 (when the first service was held) and post 1860 when ventilation ceiling roses were introduced. This would have been a major refurbishment on the 1817 building probably incorporating new roof, new very large ceiling roses, new gas and new lighting installations. I do know that a front extension to the building and new balconies were also installed around 1880.so obviously a very major refurbishment project.
I have one existing wall fitting in a small anti room. This is a horizontal arm which swivels from left to right and the burner points upwards.
Assessing all the above, I think it’s safe to assume that the original gas wall lights would have been pre mantel (pre 1897) and therefore all pointing upwards. Would you agree?
P.S I’ve got a cardboard box full of odds and ends that I have retrieved from around the building and I’ve suddenly realised that I have some of the components of the anti vibrator burner detailed in the section “Edwardian developments” on http://www.buildingconservation.com/art ... elight.htm namely the opaque glass shade and the ceramic shell type top. The diagram is dated 1907-8 so these must have been much later additions to my property
stickybeak
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Nemesis
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Michael - are you intending to use your lights with gas, or ar you going to convert to electricity?
It seems to me, you can put your lights uplighting or down - I'd try to see which you prefer. Both have advantages and disadvantages.
It seems to me, you can put your lights uplighting or down - I'd try to see which you prefer. Both have advantages and disadvantages.