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Gas street lamps

daimlerman

daimlerman

knowlegable brummie
see also

Lamplighters

My mother used to talk with affection about one of her uncles who was a lamplighter. As she was born 1909 I guess the period would be around 1914-25, does anyone have any info about lamplighters? All I remember is that he carried a pole and wore a cap. E.
birminghamhistory.co.uk birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
mw0njm. said:
i wonder who he worked for the council or british gas.
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That would have been back in the days of the old Gas boards. As he says in the video, he was going to be put on electric lamps, and his boss, says the electric lamps are much cheaper to run and maintain.
Birmingham Corporation maintained the street lamps. A chap with a ladder and a bike, in uniform used to come along our road and do the same job.
When I was a little lad my mom would tell me to stand in the bay window and look at the gas lamp outside our house. She would say" if you look very carefully, you'll see a tiny little man pop up inside and light the lamp. Tell me if you see him".
I never did see that little man, always managed to miss him.
 
daimlerman said:
That would have been back in the days of the old Gas boards. As he says in the video, he was going to be put on electric lamps, and his boss, says the electric lamps are much cheaper to run and maintain.
Birmingham Corporation maintained the street lamps. A chap with a ladder and a bike, in uniform used to come along our road and do the same job.
When I was a little lad my mom would tell me to stand in the bay window and look at the gas lamp outside our house. She would say" if you look very carefully, you'll see a tiny little man pop up inside and light the lamp. Tell me if you see him".
I never did see that little man, always managed to miss him.
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Hello,
If you take a look at the Post ‘Gas Holders in Birmingham’ on this site #77 shows a picture of the last BCC managed gas lamp being removed.
 
Those old gas lamps were often sport for some naughty boys who would throw stones and try to break the glass. All we ever did was climb up and swing on the arms.
They had clockwork timers which the lamp lighter man would adjust as the year wore on.
They gave good service, finally being torn up in our road in the early 1960's.
On dark windy and wet nights I found comfort lying in bed looking at the old lamp outside.
 
Morturn said:
I thought the gas lamp repair men worked for the Public Works Department of the council. They would ride a bike with the ladder on their shoulder, and the bike had two big pannier bags with gas mantels and parts
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Sadly, yet another trade lost in the mists of time.
Like most chaps working for the public works dept, they wouldn't have earned much, but they had a job with a small skills allowance.
Out in all weathers they just ploughed on cleaning, checking, setting and repairing covering about 40 lamps each day. Just my sort of job. No stress ,out in the fresh air keeping fit and watching the world go by. But No! I chose to fix the corporation buses instead. Down in the dark pits , physically hard, and coming home filthy and smelling of diesel fuel. Haha.
 
daimlerman said:
Sadly, yet another trade lost in the mists of time.
Like most chaps working for the public works dept, they wouldn't have earned much, but they had a job with a small skills allowance.
Out in all weathers they just ploughed on cleaning, checking, setting and repairing covering about 40 lamps each day. Just my sort of job. No stress ,out in the fresh air keeping fit and watching the world go by. But No! I chose to fix the corporation buses instead. Down in the dark pits , physically hard, and coming home filthy and smelling of diesel fuel. Haha.
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we had a lamp right out side our house in nechells,when the man come to wind the lamps clock and check it mom always give him, a cuppa.
 
Such a shame. No doubt scrapped. I seem to remember the service cover at the bottom had the Birmingham coat of arms cast into it. Civic pride, even on the lamp posts.
I've never seen an ex Birmingham gas lamp for sale but I did rescue a 1930's cast iron telephone kiosk.
It's a pity nobody was Interested in street furniture back in the 60's.
 
daimlerman said:
Such a shame. No doubt scrapped. I seem to remember the service cover at the bottom had the Birmingham coat of arms cast into it. Civic pride, even on the lamp posts.
I've never seen an ex Birmingham gas lamp for sale but I did rescue a 1930's cast iron telephone kiosk.
It's a pity nobody was Interested in street furniture back in the 60's.
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Hello Daimlerman,
I agree with you , below is part of my post made on the gas holders thread on this forum

‘’In Nechells Gas Works the amount of cast iron gas lamps and ornate fittings for wall , floor, street fixing most with the coat of arms of Birmingham cast into them that were lost forever during various refurbs and finally demolition was a terrible loss to our industrial history.
 
daimlerman said:
Such a shame. No doubt scrapped. I seem to remember the service cover at the bottom had the Birmingham coat of arms cast into it. Civic pride, even on the lamp posts.
I've never seen an ex Birmingham gas lamp for sale but I did rescue a 1930's cast iron telephone kiosk.
It's a pity nobody was Interested in street furniture back in the 60's.
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Those cast-iron telephone kiosks are a premium in the US. People buy them and put a phone inside and try not to damage the authenticity.
 
Trade Journal for gas mantles and fittings dated 1910
 

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An Advertisement for gas lighting (Source Dodo Posters / WMGB Scrapbook )
 

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Great Malvern faced a similar problem with its gas street lighting several years ago. The Malvern team made a modification to each gas light to make the as efficient as electric replacements. They are now a tourist attraction.
 
Morturn said:
Great Malvern faced a similar problem with its gas street lighting several years ago. The Malvern team made a modification to each gas light to make the as efficient as electric replacements. They are now a tourist attraction.
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Such a shame that others could/did not learn from such a good example!
 
The Webb Patent Sewer Gas Lamp was invented in the late 19th century by the Birmingham inventor Joseph Webb. In response to control the large amounts of gas (mostly Methane) produced by sewers , his invention designed, and built in Birmingham was a very efficient method to reduce gas vented by the sewer system ( also reduce germs) and secondly as a low cost, low maintenance way to keep light the cities at night. Some of his lamps are still about in London around the Savoy Hotel area (cannot say if they are still operational) .
See design drawing attached (Source Le Fervre Gas Distribution)
 

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The attached letter gives an insight to a ‘day in the life‘ of a gas fitter in Birmingham 1918, the comment about installing a gas light in a house in Nechell‘s is very funny.
 

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A replica of a Stained Glass window , which I am told was part of the main access doorway to Birmingham Gas Light and Coke company office when in Broad Street. I have no supporting evidence for this, but visually it very nice.
 

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Birmingham Gas

Nice find with the Gas Lamp, I am assuming you have the lighting column too. I cannot help with the numbering systems, as I recall they may have been numbered in situ too. Some were replaced as a matter of course due to damage or road works etc. I do recall the corporation colours, but don’t...
birminghamhistory.co.uk
 
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