Collecting, preserving and sharing the history of miners’ lamps
Most old lamps reach us anonymous. This all-brass officials’ lamp still has its man, his certificate and 27 years at one pit.
Read more about Henry McCartney’s lamp: a Patterson B7 from Houghton Colliery →A few letters punched into brass tie this J.H. Naylor lamp to the Moss Hall Coal Company and the Maypole Colliery explosion of 1908.
Read more about A Naylor lamp stamped “M H C Co”, and Wigan’s worst pit disaster →Wolf and Baxendale parts on one lamp, a relighter, cage-bar hasps and a puzzling bonnet extension.
Read more about 1910 Leeds Wolf-Patterson lamp: a fusion of Wolf and Baxendale →Patented in 1939 for Manchester Collieries, with spark ignition and an internal magnetic lock that didn’t always survive.
Read more about Pristine and never lit: the Protector MC40 →The J H Rothwell aluminium and brass utility lamp was crafted by W E Teale from Swinton, and it bore the badge of the former. J H Rothwell, a prominent ironmonger in…
Read more about J.H. Rothwell aluminium and brass utility lamp by W.E. Teale →A personal favourite: Undoubtedly, this stands as one of my cherished possessions. A 5-inch reproduction of The Lady Markham Lamp, meticulously crafted by Edward Barnard & Sons of London in 1906. Edward…
Read more about A 5-inch Edward Barnard & Sons silver replica of the Lady Markham Lamp →An early Wigan-made Clanny from the biggest colliery owner on the Lancashire coalfield.
Read more about Early Clanny-type J.H. Naylor lamp, once owned by the Wigan Coal & Iron Company →This lamp, in remarkably well-preserved state, features an original blue oxide coating on the bonnet. It is a fully authentic specimen, complete with a stamped production number “No178” on the Cell, Cage,…
Read more about Protector Type HL (hand-lit) iron-bonnet lamp in exceptional condition →These lamps were employed until approximately 1960, likely not within the NCB mines when there were more than 30 individuals working below ground. The wick adjustment process involved rotating the fuel cell…
Read more about Eccles Type HL (hand-lit) Protector lamps →The Old Protector model 176 oil lamp, dating back to before 1911, appears to have undergone modifications around 1913 to comply with the Coal Mines Act 1911. Historical research indicates that while…
Read more about Old Protector Model 176 oil lamp →“A safety lamp only works if it’s used.”
