Vintage industrial lights are becoming increasingly popular – for obvious reasons: they reek of heritage, plus the classic designs – so we are always on the hunt for more vintage industrial treasure. Having just uncovered what can only be described as a hoard, we thought it might be fun to document the sourcing and renovation process from initial contact to lights on the site.
A couple of weeks ago we were contacted by a site manager who was renovating a factory in deepest Essex, who had taken down “a quantity of lights” and wondered whether we would be interested in them? We always are. His pictures showed a particularly grimy batch of lights that were however clearly Benjamin RLMs and (especially exciting) with their original convex glass lenses. The “quantity” in question rose from “a good number” to an estimated 50 to an actual 75.
Exactly what lights we were getting – as there was more than one type – we were not certain, nor their precise condition, given the grime, but that’s part of the fun of the challenge for us: taking a reasoned punt. A deal was struck and Nick travelled to London (to watch the England match with his son, Dylan) then Essex, to the factory where our lights had been hanging for the past 60 years or so.
Much angle-grinding and snipping-off of vast junction boxes later, our 75 vintage industrial lights were neatly packed into the van, and brought home to Cornwall, where the hard work begins…
