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Street furniture

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kandor
  • Start date Start date
Are these old lamps or modern ? Repurposed lamp parts ? Or good modern design ? There are several of these lamps on Granville Street. They look old and remind me of tram poles as they seem to be quite high. The lamp shade and fitting on top seem to be older in style but I doubt that part is very old. The lower part has decoration, unlike most modern street lamps these days. Maybe they're a modern make, copying an old design.

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Vivienne14 said:
Are these old lamps or modern ? Repurposed lamp parts ? Or good modern design ? There are several of these lamps on Granville Street. They look old and remind me of tram poles as they seem to be quite high. The lamp shade and fitting on top seem to be older in style but I doubt that part is very old. The lower part has decoration, unlike most modern street lamps these days. Maybe they're a modern make, copying an old design.

View attachment 194769

View attachment 194770
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Regardless, they look quite right in their place! That area (off topic) looks like an excellent mixture of old and new.
 
Blow me!!, I am old enough to remember the street gas lights, by the Town hall, and the gas lamp lighters , with their small "A", frame ladders, they cast a beautiful soft mellow light, especially in winter, in the late 50's, Birmingham was still a beautiful place in late 50's. I also remember using the Victorian cast iron urinals too, there were still quite a few up to the late 60's I believe!!!
 
paul stacey said:
Blow me!!, I am old enough to remember the street gas lights, by the Town hall, and the gas lamp lighters , with their small "A", frame ladders, they cast a beautiful soft mellow light, especially in winter, in the late 50's, Birmingham was still a beautiful place in late 50's. I also remember using the Victorian cast iron urinals too, there were still quite a few up to the late 60's I believe!!!
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Wow! That really took me back! I too remember those ladders and sometimes they had a bike with them as I recall. The urinals we’re a little smelly in summer but always very welcome.
 
They don't seem to have many originals left and with each expensive city revamp, they move them.
Off I go again, I remember a district in Dublin, I think unoficially called the Five Lamps , I wanted to go and my mate said no it's too rough especially with my accent, but I had learned to keep shtum sometimes. We looked down and in the centre of the road was the which looked like old oil lamps , five on a lamp stand
 
They were indeed and I can remember the man who wound up the clock in the gas street lamps each month would travel from lamp to lamp on a bike with to pannier bags with tools and mantels and he would carry the ladder on his shoulder.
 
The man who turned our gas lamps out and re lit them had Downs Syndrome, he wore a bowler hat. I wasn't quite 4. My memory goes back a long way, not like now. Mum used to say here comes the little lamp lighter, I am recalling the hymn now, 'when lamps were lighted in the town and boats put out to see, the fishers of the night come down they toil for you and me. I never knew what toyel meant,.
 
Radiorails said:
No, but electrically powered instead of gas.
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Yes indeed. Our barmy neighbour (see my gardening posts) had the remaining one when he moved here. Our houses used to be one we were told there were 4 gas lamps and our 2 are in the cellar but we are unsure or intrepid to discover where the entrance might be. He had one still when he moved in and he dug it out and it lay in the garden for years. He either sold it or Gypsies may have taken it as they did us a favour when they 'removed' a half buried girder in the night. Chap 2 doors up bought one (not his) and put a bulb in. He painted it black, picked out the fresco in gold, which spoilt it for me and put a copper top on it which went green of course and hung the obligatory hanging baskets on it and Christmas lights. Not very good quality
 
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