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unknown large dublin swan neck bracket
This huge, ornate bracket was found in a reclaim yard in Sussex. I'd never seen anything quite like it, but fellow collector
Andrew Emerson identified it as an 'Irish' bracket.
This was confirmed after a visit to
Dublin.
It was originally fitted with the remains of an GEC Z5592 NP lantern. However
after being sent details of Dublin's street lighting, and reproduced below (with thanks to Mike Ashworth), I
retrofitted with a a Holophane Duo-Dome (which seemed to match the lantern in the
pictures).
The picture below shows the bracket as originally purchased. It was fitted with a
GEC Z5592 NP lantern (and originally missing its bowl).
The Lesser-Noticed Standards
Standards on the following two pages are those of the shorter height type
(approximately 4.5m high). They appear on less important routes and are
in greatest density in the inner suburbs notably in those of Sandymount, Ranelagh,
Rathmines, Drumcondra and Glasnevin.
The bases of this type of standard have very often been originally the
bases of gas lamps. They are generally green.
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The common 4.5m swan-neck (left) appears all over the city. Its earliest examples
date from 1920 and it was always electric. Good examples at Henrietta Street, 1
and Stamer Street, 8.
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The head (left) is thought to be the single wing of an originally doubled-winged
standard, i.e. having two lamps suspended at each side of its head.
Its base is of a type used by Rathmines and Pembroke Urban District Councils
in their first electric lighting schemes in 1900.
An example stands at Pembroke Colleges, 4.
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After the change from gas lighting standard heights grew rapidly as
there was no further need to faciliate the lamplighter's reach.
Dublin Corporation mass-prodduced these examples during the years 1920-1944.
They are slightly taller than the 4.5m standards, but not as tall as the
previously mentioned 9m. standards.
Because many of the later standards have a high corrosion-prone steel
content they are not as infinitely conservable as the earliest cast
iron beauties.
Head decoration is noticeably thinner than on earlier standards.
Examples exist in a beautiful setting at St. Patrick's Close, 8; and
Belmont Avenue, 4.
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