Can remember back in 1958,winter time looking out of window of 7 union terrace,The travellers rest new brighton,perch rock lighthouse,low water, trundling across rocks,was team of four shire horses ,towing a big wagon,no school for me today,i was eleven years of age,went down to the base of lighthouse,and there were four men rigging block and tackle,on the wagon were these large bottles of acetylene which were used to fuel the light house,remember the name of the haulage company written down the side,AV CRUTCLEY BIRKENHEAD.
Can remember back in 1958,winter time looking out of window of 7 union terrace,The travellers rest new brighton,perch rock lighthouse,low water, trundling across rocks,was team of four shire horses ,towing a big wagon,no school for me today,i was eleven years of age,went down to the base of lighthouse,and there were four men rigging block and tackle,on the wagon were these large bottles of acetylene which were used to fuel the light house,remember the name of the haulage company written down the side,AV CRUTCLEY BIRKENHEAD.
Not sure what that is all about but surely in 1958 the lighthouse was operated electrically and unmanned? Sure they weren't cutting up a wreck or something and why horses? AV Crutchley were a very big haulage firm based at Birkenhead docks if memory serves. To be honest sounds more like 1858 than 1958 although we did still have gas lights in our street at the time.
Acetylene was still used in some remote/unmanned lights until until the '70's. Ditto navigation buoys. The lamps on the buoys and some lighthouses were made by AGA of Sweden (?).
The buoy cylinders were massive affairs, nothing like the oxy/acet stuff in garages. The size of the ones on rock lights varied. Generally lasted a year before needing recharging/changing.
I was on the lights for a few years in the early '70's. A way of life now sadly gone.
i think if more people had gone down to the shore line in the 50s winters they would have noticed how difficult it was to gain access to lighthouse perch rock, lorries get stuck horses dont.
Horses ... the first 4x4 ???
The post mentioning AGA acetylene lights earlier got the brain cells on the move. I had often wondered if AGA navigation lights were the same firm as AGA cookers. Yes, one and the same. Swedish origin. Also wondered what AGA actually stood for. Well, here's some useless information .... the name AGA is short for the manufacturers:-
Aktiebolaget Gas Akkummulator
How that rolls off the tongue eh ?
Tea won't be long dear. I've just popped it in the Aktiebolaget Gas Akkummulator !!!