The Midnight Oil Summer 2016
The Magazine of the Historic Lighting Club Featuring contributions from Ian Caunter, Brian Eade, Phil Harris, John Kidger, Mike Parker and Claire Waring
Issue 93
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THE HISTORIC LIGHTING CLUB To encourage interest in the collecting and restoration of lighting artifacts and the research into and study of the history of illumination
Website: www.historiclightingclub.co.uk
Committee
PRESIDENT Ian Caunter Tel: 01752 783565 caunteris@aol.com HONORARY PRESIDENT David Denny TREASURER & MEMBERSHIP SEC’Y
Dave Horrocks Whitewall Cottage Milbury Heath, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, GL12 8QL Tel: 01454 281095 davidwhorrocks@gmail.com
CHAIRMAN
Mike Parker Tel: 01386 881863 mike@parkers-paraffinalia.co.uk VICE CHAIRMAN
Mike Bradley Tel: 01179530395 mike.bradley70@tiscali.co.uk PUBLICATIONS OFFICER John Kidger Tel: 01242 236794
johnkidger@talktalk.net
Committee: Ian Smith, Tel: 01279 651405. iansmith6666@btinternet.com Safety Advice: John White
Membership
Article Submissions
The new subscription rate from November 2016 will be £25 per annum, a unanimous decision of members at our last AGM. The increase was made to cover the costs of the re-vamped Midnight Oil. Members who live outside the European Union can pay a higher subscription rate of £30 to ensure that they receive their copies of The Midnight Oil by airmail. Subscriptions should be sent to the Treasurer, and cheques (in UK £ only) should be made payable to: The Historic Lighting Club. Members should ensure that they inform the Membership Secretary of any changes to their contact details etc. Digital copies of both The Midnight Oil and Newsletters can be accessed by members only via our website. Please send all material for inclusion in future issues of The Midnight Oil to Mike Parker. Editors for Issue No. 93: David Burnett and Mike Parker. All material © 2016 HLC Front cover: Hinks’ Brass Table lamp, as featured on page 28 of James Hinks & Son Ltd, Lighting Catalogue, circa 1890. A facsimile of this was issued in March 2002 by Eric Webb & Allin Hodson. Also seen in a circa 1901-2 Hinks Lamp catalogue, visible online at www.geffrye-museum.org.uk. Picture by Peter Loomes. See article inside - Art Nouveau and the Oil Lamp
HLC meeting and lamp related dates for 2016–17 26 June: Uffington
15 October: Wheels by Lamplight
11 September: Wythal
16 October: Nth Tuddenham
8/9 October: Black Country Museum
27 November: Uffington (AGM) March: Wythal (Day T.B.A)
The Midnight Oil
Summer 2016 Issue 93
CONTENTS A note from the Editor Leamington Spa Exhibit A Medieval Rush Light The French Chalice Lamp An 1860s Argand ‘Indicator’ Lamp A Britinol Miniature Blow Lamp Art Nouveau and the Oil Lamp Table Talk A House Gas Lighting-up Lamp Lamp Room at Eardington Station Notices & Special Events
Mike Parker 4 Mike Parker 5 Claire Waring 8 Ian Caunter 9 Brian Eade 11 Phil Harris 13 Mike Parker 14 Phil Harris 18 John Kidger 19 Phil Harris 21 Mike Parker 23
Art Nouveau style table lamp, with quality Hinks’s Duplex Patent burner, hand painted floral decorated, fount and matching beehive shade, courtesy of Mike Parker. Picture by Peter Loomes.
A note from the Editor Mike Parker
Light tent and lighting kit (table not included) to aid photography at meetings. www.photogeeks.co.uk
Welcome to The Midnight Oil, issue 93. It’s time to start planning ahead for the busiest months of the year. Our club members have again been invited to display their lamps at the Historic lighting event at the Black Country Living Museum, Dudley on Sat 8th and Sun 9th October 2016, (see our March Newsletter). For any more info please contact: John Kidger, Tel: 01242 236794 or at johnkidger@talktalk.net. Many of our members will also be attending Wheels by Lamplight on the 15th October, followed next day by our North Tuddenham meeting on the 16th October. You can read here about the Club’s exhibition at Leamington Spa Pump Room, which took place at the end of October last year, commemorating the career and achievements of Joseph Hinks, the Birmingham lamp manufacturer who was Mayor of the town. We have just had a lively and well attended Wythal meeting, with 29 members bringing some splendid and varied lighting items. There were many potentially exciting Midnight Oil articles for the making there. All that it needed for some article treasures was quality pictures, as text is much easier for you to provide. It has been decided to ‘crowd fund’ the purchase of a photographic lighting tent kit, as seen at left, to help in capturing top grade pictures at meetings. £25 is already in, so if you reckon it’s a good idea, please get a fiver to Mike. Tent & 3 lights will cost £90. You get some quality pictures and the MO flourishes. With this in mind ... Wanted: A couple of tame photography geeks willing to organise a ‘Picture Hour’ at Wythal and Uffington, perhaps even in Norfolk. Two Meeting reminders: Do remember to sign in at meetings. It’s important for Health and Safety reasons. Also, raffle prizes are very welcome. The last Wythal raffle raised £19 – nearly a third of the Hall hire. Thank you Angela.
Submitting Material Please don’t think that lamp information which you wish to share, or seek information about, is not suitable for publication. If 50p Parker’s stuff gets in there, your’s can. Even if you are worried about presentation, that’s what we have an Editor for. A gentle editorial nudge towards greater fluidity and use of the spell check can work wonders, if that is what you worry about. We want your personal take on historic lighting, whether it is recounting your lighting related experiences, about your collection, or even seeking to enlighten your ignorance - a regular feature for all of us at some time. Text and high resolution images are what we are after. Images are ideally sent separate from the text, but with a note showing roughly where you wish it to appear. Please check that your email program is not set up to automatically reduce image size when sent out. Image resolution should be 300dpi for printing so check your pixel count, ie a 900 x 600 dpi image will print at 3 x 2 inches. Any queries to Mike on 01386 881863, with whom you can also discuss the preparation of lamps for having them photographed at meetings.
Leamington Spa Exhibit Mike Parker
Joseph Hinks’ old stamping ground of Leamington Spa was treated to an exhibition of his life and works throughout November last year. Initiated by new member David Burnett, it was organised jointly with Mike Parker who provided much of the content, with John Kidger sharing the exhibition set up and an End of Exhibition presentation to the Museum’s Friday Focus group. The Focus Group were a knowledgeable and lively bunch and included members from the Warwickshire Industrial Archaeology Society and Leamington History Group. All this was made possible by the hard work and good offices of Vicki Slade, Senior Curator (Human History) at Leamington Spa Art Gallery & Museum. Mike introduced the talk and the role of the Historic Lighting Club, followed by John who, with the aid of a dozen lamps and objects (as seen in our main picture above), spoke of the lack of light and disadvantages covering the 100 years prior to the introduction of paraffin and the Hinks Duplex burner. He covered Rushnip and rushes, Wax candles, Palmer candle lamps, Argand lamps, Pewter pump lamps, Carcel mechanical lamps,
Above: John Kidger sheds light on pre-Hinks lighting Below: Mike Parker and a sign from the times
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Leamington Spa Exhibit Moderator lamps, Burning fluid lamps and Gas lamps. Summing up, John went on to say prior to the duplex burner, lamps had a variety of drawbacks and included being dim, dirty, smelly, expensive, required a lot of attention and dangerous. To round off the presentation Mike produced Victorian and 21st Century Duplex burners for people to handle, whilst the benefits of the introduction of paraffin in the 1860s, and J Hinks 30 candle power burner were outlined. He then described the Hinks Family’s lives and achievements,
The Exhibition consisted of four glass cabinets of exhibits with related information cards. These two information boards collated by Vicki Slade and mounted by the museum staff were used as wall displays, together with an enamel Hinks advertising sign for the Indian market. There was also a series of cards showing the component parts of the famous Hinks Punkah Lamp. Leamington Museum, The Parade, Leamington, CV32 4AA LEFT: TEXT PANEL 1 CAPTIONS 1. Joseph Hinks when mayor of Royal Leamington Spa. © Royal Leamington Spa Town Council 2. Duplex lamps were made at the company’s Crystal Lamp Works in Great Hampton Street, Birmingham. It is shown here in the 1870s. 3. Advertisement for Hinks and Son Ltd. It shows a ‘Central Draught’ lamp burner, which has a flame spreader at the top. This feature
Leamington Spa Exhibit
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introducing family descendants, brother and sister, Alfred (Alf) Hinks and Eve Hinks (Wife of John Cox), who attended the meeting and had kindly provided material from their own research. Pictured right, from left to right, are Beryl & Alf Hinks, Eve [nee Hinks] & John Cox. Then followed an interesting and lively exchange of facts with the audience, some of whom had researched the family home and Joseph’s civic activities. Mike spoke further of the HLC and circulated copies of the Midnight Oil to give people some idea of our lamping activities and how to contact us. Above: Members of the Hinks family Left: Some of the display cases at the exhibition
was essential for ensuring an adequate flame was produced. 4. Stained glass window in Royal Leamington Spa Town Hall commemorating Hinks’ terms as mayor RIGHT: TEXT PANEL 2 CAPTIONS 1. Front cover of a catalogue for Hinks Lamps, c. 1901-2. The full catalogue, which features illustrations of paraffin lamps, shades and accessories, can be accessed at the Geffrye Museum website, www.geffrye-museum.org.uk and www.geffryeimages.com. © Geffrye Museum 2. This Art Nouveau style lamp by Hinks is featured in the catalogue. Lamp courtesy Mike Parker 3. Wall Plaque on Adelaide Road bridge 4. This rare enamel sign celebrates the addition of the central draught burner to Hinks’ range of Duplex lamps. At this time, the company had sales outlets in London and Paris. Sign courtesy Steve Burton
A Medieval Rush Light Claire Waring, introduced by Mike Parker My local town of Evesham was once the site of a bloody Medieval battle that ended the attempt by Simon de Montfort to rule his country. In the summer of last year I attended a re-enactment by the local Historical Society celebrating the event and found myself walking through a Medieval tented village. Imagine my delight when I came to a tent where a medieval peasant woman was busily preparing rushes for the evening’s light. No illiterate serf was she however, and luckily, as you can read here, Claire was prepared to share her experiences with me. “I pick the rushes from a marsh in Kingsteignton and they are kept wrapped in a damp muslin cloth en route to events. I peel between approx 85-90% of the green outside of the rush off, revealing the white, spongy pith inside. I use my nails or a pair of snips to start. They are then left to dry out a little – this length of time is usually for as long as I’m peeling my rushes for that day. Though I understand that realistically the drying period prior to putting through the grisset would have been 2 sennights (2 weeks). I warm the tallow in the grisset over the fire that we have at our cook’s tent until the tallow is clear and runny. Leaving a small enough 10% green ‘handle’ as it were, I drag the peeled rushes through the melted tallow one by one. (below) They are left to dry on a willow mat that has been kindly woven for me by one of our talented members. I found leaving them to dry on linen or other material only made them stick and then when I tried to peel them off, most of the tallow got left behind. As long as they are kept out of the sun after having been dipped they will harden. I then tie them together with the discarded peel in bunches of 10. The rushes are normally about 22-25 cm in length. They featured at the Medieval Free Company’s medieval banquet at Buckland Abbey near Plymouth over the August Bank holiday. And it was really very satisfying to watch them burn at that event.”
A Medieval Rush Light Claire continues, “The flame was inconsistent, it’s fair to say, for the first quarter of the rushlight, but once it had established itself it burnt well, much brighter than could be expected and for about a period of 10 minutes. There were no other lights nearby (below). There was a little natural light of dusk but the barn we banqueted in has no windows.”
[The Evesham photos were provided by Mike and the others came to us via Claire and The Medieval Free Company: www.medievalfreeco.org.uk with enquiries to be directed to Peter & Jen Hood – Chairwoman and events organiser. Their email address is hoodp@globalnet.co.uk. If you would like any further details about The Medieval Free Company or any of their events, I recommend a visit to the website. Editor]
The French Chalice Lamp Ian Caunter The French ‘Chalice Lamp’. Does such a lamp exist or is this just a myth? Has anybody seen one and what was it used for? Is there any reference to the chalice lamp in history? All of the above are very logical questions and are worthy of further investigation. In the following short document, it is my intention to put together as much information as I have been able to so far gather on the subject. For the first part of our investigation, we need to venture back in time to the period just after the ‘French Civil War’. This appeared to be a somewhat delicate and unstable period of French history. The French republic was proclaimed and King Louis XVI had been executed (21 January 1793). There then followed a very tortuous policy towards religion. On the 13th November 1792, Pierre Joseph Cambon, in the name of the Financial Committee, made an announcement that, he would quickly submit a scheme of general reform
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The French Chalice Lamp including suppression of the appropriation for religious worship, which, he asserted, cost the republic some “100,000,000 livres” each year. The Jacobins strongly opposed the scheme as premature, and Maximilien Robespierre declared it “derogatory to public morality”. For the first eight months of the existence the policy of the Convention was to maintain the ‘Civil Constitution’ and greatly increase the penalties against the ‘refractory’ priests who were suspected of complicity on the War that was taking place in the Vendée. On the 18th March 1793 a decree was issued to punish by death any compromised priests. It was no longer just aimed at the refractory priests, but now included any ecclesiastic accused of disloyalty. A priest, accused by any six citizens could be liable to transportation. There were now, no longer bad priests or good priests in the eyes of the revolution, every priest was suspect and at risk. During this time of ‘Terror’, priests were persecuted and were forced to hide to avoid deportation and denied their daily church functions. It was during this period that members of the public and loyal villagers loyal to the church, hid the priests from the authorities and allowed the priests to continued to officiate in hiding. Among the sacred objects they were carrying, were small ‘two wick oil (Colza or olive) lamps’. This type of lamp was quite common in France during this period and would not have attracted much attention. However these lamps were in two parts as following: The lamp burner assembly and underneath was the chalice for the Eucharistic celebration. Eventually, due to the public opposition and the risk of another revolution, freedom of worship was restored in France and the need for the lamps was discontinued. However it was not before many (16,591) had been subjected to the guillotine. Maximilien Robespierre, the once leader of the revolution ended his days in the same way. And so ended the days of terror. Today, it has become difficult to find any of these lamps for sale. The vast majority of people do not know what they are. They were also made in a number of different shapes and sizes. Again, I suspect this was to cause confusion in the eyes of the authority. In the pictures you can see the lamp burning in two separate parts, fully assembled burning, and dismantled. With this type of lamp, it would have been very easy to hide a chalice in full view of the authorities. I have noticed that there does not appear to be any manufacturers name on the castings. I would suspect that this was also for security reasons and that the manufacturer’s loyalty to the priests, would not be compromised. It has been very difficult to try and obtain any documentation regarding these little chalice lamps and their use. Possibly, it was because they had a covert use. I remember, once visiting John Wolfe in France. During the visit he showed me one of the lamps and explained their use. It would be very interesting if anybody has any further information on these lamps, that they would be willing to share with the members?
An 1860s Argand ‘Indicator’ Lamp Brian Eade One of the most fascinating, addictive aspects of lamp collecting, is that you never know what will turn up next and that somehow, the latest lamp always turns out to be better than the last! I was extremely surprised when I was contacted by a gentleman in America with a request to restore a moderator lamp that he had recently purchased from a dealer in Lancashire. I studied the photographs he sent me with interest and decided this was a lamp I would love to work on, although I suspected that parting with it afterwards would turn out to be much harder than any repairs! Ten days later two enormous boxes from Liverpool arrived and I soon had the lamp unpacked and standing on my dining table! This is a magnificent silver plated Moderator lamp! It measures 24 inches tall, (excluding the chimney as, in fact, it arrived without one!), and 7 inches across the stand baseplate. The ornate burner basket carries a London distributors plate, which reads, ‘Bright, (Late), Argand & Co, 37 Bruton 2439 Patent Indicator Lamp’ and has an extra slot in the front (pictured right), presumably for a fuel level ‘Indicator’, which sadly turned out to be missing. The first thing I did, was to inspect the lamp to try and identify the maker. I discovered a black felt pad over the base plate, covering any possible markings but after examination of the burner, I was able to match it exactly with a large, plain brass lamp I have, made by Joseph Schlossmacher of Paris. There has always been some conjecture that moderator lamps were possibly manufactured here in England, as well as in France. I must say that I, personally, have certainly never seen any evidence to support this and doubt it to be the case. More likely perhaps, is that it could simply be that the confusion
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An 1860s Argand ‘Indicator’ Lamp started because most of these lamps seem to have no maker’s marks at all? It is, therefore, most interesting in this example, to find for certain that a top London distributor imported a high quality French lamp, rather than marketing a lamp produced at home. The base plate (left), once revealed, was not embossed J.S., as I had expected but did appear to be original. I wonder if a plain base plate was specified by the English distributor, to disguise the fact that the lamp had been imported, rather than manufactured in house? Perhaps it could even have been due to a perceived fear of lingering anti-French feeling, it was after all, at this time, only around 45 years, since the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte? I must admit here, that I am not entirely serious with this theory but it does at least place the period of the lamp into rough historical context! Incidentally, the outer wick tube on my plain lamp is also marked, ‘J.S.’, which leads me to wonder if this lamps burner, like the base, was also left unmarked? Unfortunately, as the tubes had been cut down when I got it, we will never know! As well as the cut burner tubes, the wick retainer was also missing. This must have happened, presumably, when the lamp was electrified at some point and although it is a common problem on these lamps, in this case I was very lucky to have the wick tubes and retainer on my complete burner to provide a pattern. The wick raising gear turned out to be seized but with some careful heating was soon released. I was pleased, at this point, to discover that the wick raiser rack was fully retracted, rather than simply cut short, as I had at first feared and my luck then continued to hold when I discovered the large rack and pump were both free, enabling the lamp to be dismantled fairly easily. After removal of the brass outer casing, I was quite excited to find the tin plated pump inscribed, “E Wilson Darlington Oct 19, 1907”, in lovely copper plate handwriting (below left). This is probably a service or repair mark, indicating the lamps continued use at least 43 years after manufacture and also that it probably had not travelled very far since arriving from France 150 years ago! The base plate, on closer examination, has at some point had a hole punched in it and a soldered repair. I have come across this on other moderator lamps and originally thought it was just a result of electrification, however, in this case I had the original stand and there was no sign of a corresponding hole the wire could pass through? Also, why had it never occurred to me before that these holes are always soldered up? (To be continued in the next Midnight Oil)
A Britinol Miniature Blow Lamp Phil Harris
Found with its base in rather a holey state at a house clearance venue by an intrigued Mike P, this dinky lamp was given to a more interested member Phil Harris, whose response was: “I have a few meths blowlamps and they work surprisingly well and give a very hot flame and absolutely no noise. For what it’s worth ... basically I wire-brushed it all over, which revealed the full extent of the corrosion which had perforated the base in about seven places, elsewhere, apart from surface rust, it looked fine. The holes were too big just to solder, so I cut two small patches of tin plate to cover the corroded areas, sandpapered the rust off and tinned the original metal, then tinned the patches, finally soldering the patches onto the base. This was done using a traditional paraffin blowlamp and medium-sized coppertipped chisel point soldering iron, together with 60:40 leaded solder and flux paste. The end result doesn’t look awfully pretty and would not draw admiring glances at a HLC meeting [Phil, it does from us...! Editor], but it works!”
Art Nouveau and the Oil Lamp Mike Parker, with pictures by Peter Loomes
Above: Unmarked, single stem rose vase repeating the curves on this dramatic brass column and milk glass duplex fount.
Right: An AM England tile, circa 1900, complementing the similar styling of the brass base, glass fount and matching shade of an ordinary duplex table lamp.
I grew up as a child during a time when a soiled jam sandwich was a greater loss than the Clarice Cliff side plate accidentally knocked with it onto the hard kitchen floor and tipped without thought into the dustbin. I began school when you could still enjoy pop drunk from a marble Codd bottle, (The Niagra Bottle Makers. Barnett & Foster. London N. 1850–1950) and left for work when several varieties of the Wells Unbreakable Lamp were still available in hardware catalogues. (Benn Brothers Hardware Trade Journal, 1958) No surprise then about the influence of early 20th century design on my preferred choice of style when choosing lighting. I have a soft spot for Art Deco and have 1930’s Bakelite table lamps as part of my everyday electric lighting provision, but by then interest in oil lighting was beginning to wane, so examples of deco oil lamps are hard to find. I’m an avid collector and recycler so my home is crammed with practical, mainly low cost items whose style has caught my fancy. I’m keen on anything utilitarian, attractive and crafted stylishly that I discover and can afford. It’s quite possible to read through a picture guide to Art Nouveau and not be shown an example of an Oil Lamp, yet it’s clear that it’s a style enthusiastically embraced by lamp manufacturers in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I have been fortunate recently, with the help of my friend John ‘The Lamp’ Warren, to find several oil lamps that are distinctively Art Nouveau in style. When I began a series of photographs of them I realised that I could easily reflect their style in other art nouveau artefacts I have found and cherished over several years. Hence the pictures that you see here. The quality brass table lamp featured on the front cover of this Midnight Oil expresses it well. It almost has its soul exposed by the simple wood carving it embraces. It appears in both a circa 1890 and a 1901–2 James Hinks & Son Ltd, Lighting Catalogue.
Art Nouveau and the Oil Lamp
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All of the non lamp art nouveau items, apart from the copper jug, have cost little money and have been cherished simply on the basis of their attractive style. Art Nouveau rejected the straight line and right angle. Its essence is the single extended curve in any design of its style, which became a European wide phenomenon in the late 1880s, encapsulating Nature as its source as it developed. Promoted first by Ruskin in this country, then William Morris and the Arts and Craft movements as a rejection of mass-production and the decline of craftsmanship, its influence continued well into the early 1900s. I’m not seeking to define its history here; you can discover that better elsewhere. In this piece I wish only to share a little of how lamp manufacturers of the time incorporated the Art Nouveau style into their lighting products.
Above: There is a match here with both the stunning shade, resting on a quality No 2 Hinks lever burner and a dramatic brass base, and with the decorative markings on this solid copper hot water jug, circa 1903 (Reg No 409902) by Joseph Sankey and Sons Ltd (J S & S and Neptune mark).
Leftt: the three pinnacles of this incomplete, electroplate chamber candlestick stick, marked T D & S EP and listed in the 1907 Army & Navy Stores Catalogue, mirror the central pattern of this cast base on a lamp with a single, No10 slip, burner and gallery with complementary shade.
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Art Nouveau and the Oil Lamp Left: Whilst not quite identical, the patterns on the four panels of these 4-inch high, handcrafted, brass posy jugs, still complement some of the art nouveaux patterns on the base of this small cast iron base lamp with a 2.5 inch fit Eureka burner.
Right: this print of a publicity poster from the Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts, by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, dating from the mid 1890s, has design features that can be seen echoed within the brass base, decorative glass fount and rather magnificent globe.
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Left: This everyday, pressed metal drawer handle, reflects the patterns on the base, fount and parts of the very ornate duplex lamp shade.
Above: Though not contemporary I delight in the striking blue and patterns of this simple modern glass lamp, and the way they match many of the patterns that the early cast base, duplex oil lamp possesses.
Left: Some of the matching, sinuous floral patterns on the globe and milk glass fount of this delightful oil table lamp can also be seen on the well worn, early tin from Peak Frean & Co Ltd, Biscuit Manufacturers, London SE, founded in 1857.
TABLE TALK - Wythal 13.09.2015 Phil Harris At least nine members displayed lamps at the September 2015 Wythall meeting, and I decided to talk to Alan Deacon about his collection, and particularly a large ‘punkah’ lamp which was prominent on his table (below left). Alan was exhibiting for the first time after a two-year break, and he explained that the punkah lamp was essentially a Hinks duplex burner with a dual concentric wick winder, with a ground glass chimney/ shade and ventilated bonnet which totally enclose the burner and prevent the ingress of insects, a very important consideration in the tropics - this style of lamp was believed to have been popular in India. The vase in which the fount sits is of French origin. Alan has owned this lamp for around twenty years, and undertook minimal restoration work on it, other than dry cleaning using a soft duster. Alan’s favourite material is copper and he owns several copper lamps and kettles. Other lamps in Alan’s display included a tall lamp with the
Three lamps from Alan Deacon’s collection, including (L-R) a ‘Punkah’, an ornate French (or Belgian?) lamp and an attractive Benson in copper and brass.
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wick winder marked “Lampe Dite Electrique/A.W./ Bruxelles” (facing page centre, with close-up of winder shown at right). It burns paraffin, using a circular wick - any suggestions as to the origin of this name would be welcome. Also on display was an attractive Benson lamp with brass base and copper fount (facing page, right). Alan’s collection amounts to some 300 to 400 lamps, many of which are displayed hanging from the ceiling in his lounge! He now prefers ‘wick’ lamps, and considers mantles to be costly consumable items. We discussed various aspects of lamp collecting, concluding that it is very much a matter of personal choice. With such a wide field and a huge range of types, styles, technologies and manufacturers, the possibilities are endless!
A House Gas Lighting-up Lamp John Kidger Whilst some lamps were designed to light up gas street lamps, this lamp is purpose built to light up gas lamps in a house. It has many design features to make it safe when mixing naked flames with gas. The brass name plate is embossed – SAFETY LIGHTING UP LAMP. REGISTERED. SEPT 27TH 1875. It is made in heavy tinplate and has a handle and thumb plate. The position of the gas cone on the left hand side would make the lamp suitable for holding in the right hand, whilst turning the gas tap on with the left hand. The burner has a 5/16 inch diameter wick. It is 9 ½ inches high and 4 ½ inches diameter at the base. It probably burnt colza oil as the reservoir and conical collector chamber is full of a thick greenish goo. Firstly, it is an oil burning bulls eye lamp similar to a policemans lamp of the period. This allows you to walk to and into rooms in the dark to find and light the gas lamps. Note the small flame for normal use as a lamp, see FIG 5. Secondly, it enables you to light your gas lamps without matches, spills or tapers. After turning on the gas lamp, the lamp is offered up to the burner and gas is allowed to enter lamp by the inlet cone, see FIG 3. The cone has an angled inlet to encourage the gas to enter the lamp adjacent to the flame. The cone has a
Gas inlet pipe
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2 Top vents
Bottom vents
Oil drain plug
The plug at the bottom is to drain off excess colza oil that has run down the side of the wick tube.
A House Gas Lighting-up Lamp perforated plate on the end. I believe the cone shape deflects the gas flame blast outward, away from the lamp flame, whilst the perforated plate limits the blast back to the gas burner when the gas ignites. This ensures the lamp flame and gas flame remain alight. This lamp was registered nearly fifteen years before the gas mantle became available, so it would only have lit naked gas flames. The lamp has a sprung outer wick tube surrounding the fixed wick tube. When this outer tube is depressed by a thumb lever it exposes more wick, this action increases the flame height to stop the flame being extinguished when the incoming gas suddenly ignites, see FIG 6. A retaining bar is fitted to prevent the spring lifting the thumb lever and outer wick tube too high and extinguishing the flame. To help prevent the flame been blown out it is also protected by a plate attached to the outer tube and is between the gas inlet cone and the flame, see FIG 7. As with many colza oil burners, excess oil can run down the outside of the wick tube. In this lamp it is more likely to be drawn down by capillary action between the two wick tubes. This oil then drains down, via 5 holes, into a conical chamber on the outside of the font. This excess oil can be drained off via a brass plug on the side, see FIG 5. To make sure this chamber is safe from explosion, should gas enter it, it has a ring of vent holes, see FIG 5. The removable top/chimney carries the inlet cone and bulls eye lens. It also has a second chimney within. This inner chimney is vented at the bottom and top, see FIG 2. I believe these vents are to encourage air flow to remove any excess gas that may ignite. The inner chimney also has vents around the inside of the bulls eye lens. This ventilation is required to prevent the lens having condensation on its inner surface, these vents are standard on policeman lamp bullseye lenses. No wonder this lamp is called the SAFETY LIGHTING UP LAMP, it has a host of ideas to ensure the gas lamp is lit and the main flame is not blown out. I have tried the lamps lighting-up abilities by successfully firing up a gas blow lamp several times.
Perforated gas inlet plate on the end of the cone.
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Brass name plate soldered on base.
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A House Gas Lighting-up Lamp
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RESTORATION OF THE LAMP Whilst generally quite rusty, I was lucky that the lamp was still full of the oily greenish goo, typically old colza oil, as this appears to have stopped a lot of internal deterioration. The only thing required was to re-solder the outer wick tube and the protective plate on to the thumb lever and free up the thumb lever on its return spring. A most interesting and rare lamp. Thumb plate
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Vent holes
With the outer wick tube in the “up� position the flame is normal, as used as a bulls eye lamp.
The outer wick tube is depressed by the thumb lever and the flame is very large to resist being extinguished when the incoming gas ignites.
Details of the burner and outer wick tube and deflector plate.
Lever return spring under this cap Retaining bar for the thumb lever
Deflector plate protecting the flame from the blast of igniting gas.
Thumb lever
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Lamp Room at Eardington Station Phil Harris Phil Harris has been assiduously restoring to working order (but not necessarily showroom condition) a good selection of lamps resident in the Lamp Room at Eardington Station on the Severn Valley Railway. Below is an image of the display he put on during the station’s Spring Steam Gala. “It’s actually quite nice to be able to bring lamps from a derelict state to working order, without the need to restore them to as-new condition, as the railway are keen to present their lamps as working artefacts in the condition they would have been in when in operational use.”
On bench, left to right: GWR Fogman’s Lamp showing amber aspect Adams & Westlake type 51 ‘long-time burner’ signal lamp with type 55L chimney Midland Region Guard’s lamp showing green aspect BR Guard’s Lamp showing red aspect Welch Patent long-burning signal lamp BR locomotive headlamp BR Guard’s Van lamp with white and red aspects
BR locomotive headlamp Tilley FL6 floodlight Upper row, left to right:: Feuerhand hurricane lamp with “EARDINGTON” legend on glass Tilley X246A Tilley X246 Tilley X246 BR Midland Region train tail lamp
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Associated Kerosene & Oil Lamps Australia Antique & New Lamps Replacement Parts Manufacturer of Parts Restoration Repairs
www.oillamps.com.au oillamps@oillamps.com.au
Notices and Special Events • HLC LAMP EXHIBITION – The Black Country Living
Museum, 8–9 October 2016 • MEMBERS BOOK SERVICE – The list of publications will appear twice a year in the Newsletter and copies can be ordered by post from John Kidger. Email: johnkidger@talktalk.net or call on 01242 236794 Two copies of the publications are brought to each HLC meeting. • FIND OUT MORE – below are links to some of the institutions that we have worked with to promote research into, and study of, the history of illumination. BLACK COUNTRY LIVING MUSEUM – www.bclm.co.uk GEFFRYE MUSEUM – www.geffrye-museum.org.uk LEAMINGTON SPA ART GALLERY & MUSEUM – www.warwickdc.gov.uk/royalpumprooms THE MEDIEVAL FREE COMPANY – www.medievalfreeco.org.uk
A colourful advertisement for Genuine “HINKS” Duplex Lamp Chimneys from a catalogue for Hinks Lamps, c. 1901-2. The full catalogue, which features illustrations of many paraffin lamps, shades and accessories, can be accessed online at www.geffrye-museum.org.uk and at www.geffryeimages.com. © Geffrye Museum