Lamp Lighting In The 40`s On Parson Cross

[Theoldlamplighter]

I was born in the 30`s and lived on Parson Cross and well remember the old guy lighting the street lamp outside my house all through the winter months and believe it or not but we had another old guy that used to come around early in the morning with a long pole and tap on our upstairs window to wake up my dad so he would be on time for work. Anyone else remember them?

[vox]

Lamplighter in Sheffield

Picture Sheffield

[vox]

Census 1891
William James CARTLEDGE (age 34)
Court 1, House 2 Nursery St, Sheffield
Lamplighter

[vox]

Sheffield Lamplighters Trade Society
Founded in 1889,
71 members in 1892
57 members in 1893
No record of it's survival after 1894

Historical Directory of Trade Unions

[vox]

Mr Tilly, the Lamp Lighter

In about 1962, Grove Road, Totley Rise, was still lit by gaslight. I expect other roads were as well. Every evening Mr Tilly would arrive on his bicycle and go from lamp to lamp pulling a lever which ignited the street light. Mr Tilly was also a gardener and roses were his pride and joy.

Source - totleyhistorygroup.org.uk

[vox]

Sheffield Flood Claims

Claimant:
William Wallnutt, Lamplighter
5 Nursery Lane, Sheffield
Claimed: £11 14s 6d
Award: Assessed by Consent at £6
Granted: 22 April 1865

Location: 53°23′11″N,1°27′45″W Grid Ref: 435739,387908

[vox]

Sheffield and Rotherham Independent.17th December 1873

Thomas Clarke, lamp lighter, Portobello

[hilldweller]

I was born in the 30`s and lived on Parson Cross and well remember the old guy lighting the street lamp outside my house all through the winter months and believe it or not but we had another old guy that used to come around early in the morning with a long pole and tap on our upstairs window to wake up my dad so he would be on time for work. Anyone else remember them?

I was born in the forties and remember that most of the older streets in Sheffield were lit by gas lamps well into the nineteen sixties when they were replaced by low pressure sodium lamps.

However by the fifties at least, the gas lamps were turned on and off by clockwork time switches in little brass cylinders in the bottom of the lanterns.

I remember from a shin-ing up exercise (how i wish I could do that today) that these were marked Horstmann on the lid which hinged up to use the winding key.

Our gas-lamp man only came once a week to wind up the clockwork mechanism. I suppose they had an eight day clock.

The time switches had a little lever at the back and they clipped around the gas tap and turned the gas on & off at the right times. I don't think they had "solar" mechanisms like the ones fitted to electric streetlights 'so the lamp man probably had to adjust the time as the seasons progressed.

He also carried spare mantles to replace any broken ones.

I remember the "Lamp Lighter" carried a red painted "A" frame ladder.

Horstmann are still going strong today making central heating controls as well as other things.

One thing I do remember was that the best place to be inconspicuous in a gas lit street was directly under the lamp.

HD