Lighting junction box with no live in??

[mudmonkey]

I'm wondering if anyone can help me make sense of this junction box. I'm renovating an outhouse and was going to replace this with a maintenance free type as it will be boxed in, I also wanted to add a new light and switch, but I don't understand how this circuit works currently.

1 - comes from the existing ceiling pendant (this seems to be the last in line, there is no continuation of the circuit from this pendant other than this junction box). Only the neutral and earth are connected to the junction box with the live cut off. (It is the old style red/black wiring to the pendant so this blue wire comes from the black, which I assume is neutral).
2. This is the switch that controls 1.
3. This connects to another pendant and switch.
I'm scratching my head a bit as there appears to be no live in, but everything works as it should. I'd like to add another pendant & switch but am hesitant to touch anything until I understand what's been done

 

[pete01]

Looks like it's a permanent supply and the neutral and earth have been taken to a light with a switched live from elsewhere.

 

[mudmonkey]

What do you mean by permanent supply?

 

[mudmonkey]

I’m guessing 3 is the incoming supply. 2 is supply to switch and 1 is neutral to light. There will be another cable, switched live from switch to the light. Strange way of doing it though.

1 is definitely the incoming supply, I've traced all the wires back. 2 is the switch for 1 and 3 is a new light & switch

 

[pete01]

What do you mean by permanent supply?

Always on, but I got that wrong I didnt notice the blue was also cut from cable 2, so as loonfung says

 

[mudmonkey]

3 is definitely not the incoming supply though

 

[mudmonkey]

Could it be that the old red/black wiring is the wrong way around and the blue cable of 1 is actually live? I don't see how this circuit works otherwise

 

[conny]

Is it possibly the arrangement for feeding one of the switches on a 2-way switch circuit?
Come across something like this a few years ago. The straps between the switches went direct to each other and the live feed to one of the switches was fed from a junction box with a similar set up as this.
Can't remember exactly how it went, but this looks very similar.

 

[mikeyd]

What other cables are at he switch? (ie the other ends of cable 2)

 

[mudmonkey]

Is it possibly the arrangement for feeding one of the switches on a 2-way switch circuit?
Come across something like this a few years ago. The straps between the switches went direct to each other and the live feed to one of the switches was fed from a junction box with a similar set up as this.
Can't remember exactly how it went, but this looks very similar.

No it's definitely not a 2 way switch

 

[mudmonkey]

What other cables are at he switch? (ie the other ends of cable 2)

This is a great question! I think this sheds a bit more light on the situation

So I have attached 3 pics, the 1st just shows the wall with the supply coming in from 1 and the cable going down to switch 2, with 3 going into the ceiling to feed another pendant/switch.

1 is the supply coming in to the wall pendant with the red/black - live/neutral
2 is the switch for this light - so it looks like there is a live & switched live coming in through the wall

So I guess the live seems to be taken from the switch to the junction box, and the neutral is taken from the pendant to the junction box....

 

[mudmonkey]

This makes a lot more sense now, I suppose the switched live must connect to the pendant behind the wall somewhere.

I couldn't understand how there didn't seem to be a live coming in to the junction box but I think this explains it

 

[pete01]

Yes it does they've pinched a live from the switch and a neutral from the light.

 

[mudmonkey]

Yeah, makes sense. Thanks for your help guys