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‘It has been stated that the street is a dark one, but this is altogether wrong, for it is well lighted at all hours of the night by the great lamps outside the brewery of Messrs. Mann and Crossman, in addition to the ordinary street lamps’ - Evening News 7 Sept. 1888
What are these ‘great lamps outside the brewery’ that are distinct from the ‘ordinary street Lamps’. the ordinary street lamp appear to be Sugg’s Parliamentary burners, which give off in general less than 18 candle power (slightly more is the gas used is produced from cannel coal) the great lamps are possibly ‘Bray’s lamps’ some of which can give off up to 300 to 400 candle power.
Bray lamps were commonly available by 1884, for example -
‘The City of Wells Gas Company are erecting a great number of large 100-candle Bray lamps in all the principal squares and open places in the city.’ - The Western Times; Exeter 14 Nov 1884
and
‘STREET LIGHTING. - Mr BATLEY, in moving the adoption of the lamp committee’s minutes, explained that there are distributed over the borough 7,517 ordinary lamps and 59 Bray’s lamps.’ - The Leeds Times, 10 May 1884
The reason I have used quotes from 1884 was that it was at the start of 1884, that the brewery wall was blown down in a storm.
‘In Bath-street, Whitechapel, a wall at the brewery of Messrs. Mann and Crossman was blown down and buried three persons, a man and two woman, who were passing. As soon as possible the sufferers were extricated and conveyed to the London Hospital, but the man, whose name was Richard Fuller, succumbed to his injuries shortly afterwards.’ - Reading Mercury, Oxford Gazette, Newbury Herald and Berks County Paper, 2 Feb 1884
Perhaps, during the rebuilding of the wall the brewery choose to use Bray lamps despite the cost (5 Guineas, or 5 pound 5 shillings each, plus cost of the additional gas used 18 to 25 feet of gas per hour compared with around 3 for ordinary lamps*) and that these are the ‘great lamps’ as described in the Evening News 7 Sept. article
*= figures from The Leeds Times, 10 May 1884
If so, would anyone one walking passed the brightly lit brewery need some time to be become accustomed to the gloom of Bucks row, with its one lamp shining at the end of row according to PC Neil?
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