A rare pair of copper and brass arts and crafts gas wall lights (now sympathetically converted for electricity) attributed to Best & Lloyd of Birmingham but apprently unsigned. Complemented with excellent straw-vaseline gas-lampshades attributed to John Walsh Walsh. England, c.1895-1905

Ht.36cm/14in, W.(backplate)8/3.25, Dpth.33/13, Ht&W.(shade)10/4

Best & Lloyd, Birmingham 1840-Present

• Best & Lloyd founded in 1840 is one of the oldest and most prestigious English lighting manufacturers alongside W.A.S Benson
• The company was founded in Smethwick, Birmingham, a major hub for the industrial revolution. They initially began by making brass components before evolving into a world-class lighting supplier.
• By 1900 Best & Lloyd had become one of the largest lighting manufacturers in the world, selling in Europe and The U.S.A.
• As a direct competitor to W.A.S. Benson they successfully combined the artistry of the Arts and Crafts era with high-precision engineering.
• Their early electric lighting can often be found with R.D marks to confirm their identity and occasionally with their registered “Electrocuted Man” emblem.
• Their lampshades would have been locally sourced from the many glassworks from the surrounding Birmingham area but it is unknown if they collaborated with any one factory in particular.
• Later in 1928, founder Robert Best’s grandson designed the iconic “Bestlite” range inspired by the Bauhaus movement.
• Today, the company remains highly active, supplying lighting for private residences and over half of the world’s top 20 super-yachts.