How old is this light fitting?

[NewOrder]

Taken in around 1993, the fitting is still there but I don't think any of the original wiring is, it should have all been replaced in 1980.

This was taken when we had a 1960's false ceiling replaced with a more suitable one (e.g not polystyrene) and I have often wondered the past 20 years old how old that fitting was.

Well today I found the photograph of it, so how old would you say the fitting on the original ceiling is?

It is a shame the original wiring is not there as that would help date it, but I suspect it is pre 1950's and probably pre war. I was told all the fittings were like this before it was rewired in 1980.

Edit it helps if you have a picture!

Untitled

• NewOrder
• 10 Jul 2012
• 1

 

[JohnD]

the photograph

what photograph?

 

[NewOrder]

Forgot to post it Included now.

 

[RF Lighting]

Hard to tell from the picture. Is it a ceramic ceiling rose ona wooden patress?

 

[NewOrder]

Yep exactly that. Looking at some other old photographs there is an old round socket on one of the old skerton boards which is very small and has two pins there doesn't seem to be an earth - maybe the metal acted as earth?

It looks like it is the same age as that light rose in the picture. Again its mounted on wood. If it is helps the house is in Manchester, I gather in the old days locally made fittings were most often used.

 

[RF Lighting]

They were used with lead and VIR cables. Probably 1900 - 1940. I think by time rubber cable started to come in to use 1940 - 1960ish bakelite had replaced ceramic accesories.

 

[NewOrder]

I have found plenty of lead and paper cable when doing work in the house in the past.

I have been told the house had electricity from the day it was built in 1906, I know my town had electricity from 1902 from a power station but some buildings had their own supply before then.

My lock up has a similar ceramic light fitting (no longer in use) but old VIR cable is still there (it just isn't connected to anything).

I am not sure how viable it was that house was built with electricity, but it was built with running hot water and indoor toilet so it seemed to have a lot of mod cons for the day.

I don't know if there is any of finding out for certain if that fitting was the original one, but if they were made from 1900 to 1940 then it is likely. It also means the house may have had its original wiring from 1906 to 1980!. That cannot be right actually, as I have also removed some VIR in this property.

When was paper and lead cable last used? I can't imagine much of it been around by the 50's when we suspect that ceiling was put up.

 

[RF Lighting]

These dates are from what I have heard over the years so may not be spot on.

It seems that by time of the housing boom in the 1930s VIR singles in slip jointed steel conduit was the wiring style of choice, and I have found some bits of lead cable in my brothers house which was built in the 1920s, so I guess the transition period was somewhere around there.

 

[mysteryman]

The house I was brought up in had electricity installed in 1937, using lead sheathed canvas and rubber insulation. Junction boxes were metal with pinch screws onto the lead for earth continuity, and ceramic thimbles on the wire joins. Light switches and ceiling roses were all ceramic on wooden pattresses. The original 15 Amp sockets were quite small, neat and tidy, plastic bodied with switches rated for AC only. The fuse boxes were all cast iron with double pole knife switches and double pole fuses. Quite a lot of this was rewired with a new consumer unit in 1964 during building work, and I rewired the remaining power circuits and some lights in 1982. The remaining original lighting circuits were still in use until 2000 when my brother left. There were never any problems. It was all then rewired.

 

[NewOrder]

So that fitting may well be more recent than I thought then. That said the picture of the sockets I have show it was metal so that must place it well before 1940.