Stuart Lantern
Think of the world before electricity - no TV, no computers, and no electric light. Light is a basic human need and from early times, humans have used fire to light the dark nights and dark spaces.
In Tudor times, electricity had not yet been discovered. All the Tudors' lighting came from firelight and candles.
Lit candles on their own can be blown out easily. If you walked around the house with a candle then a cupped hand was often enough to protect the flame from draught, but outside in really windy weather, a candle had no chance of staying alight. The Tudors had no street lighting, therefore candles powered outdoor lights. To allow an outside area to be lit, and to protect the candle from the wind and rain was a design challenge, especially at a time when glass was very expensive.
The lantern is made out of cut sheet metal joined together by welded joints. It is pierced with small slits that protect the candle inside, but lets light shine out. It has a hinged door that opens so that you can put a candle inside. The roof of the lantern is high so it can take a long candle. The lantern can be hung by its hook on a stick and carried aloft, or it can be attached to a wall.
The light from the lantern is not strong but it is a good guiding light.
Lanterns of this design were also used in Stuart times.
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Dimensions: Height:12cm Base diameter:10cm |
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