On 8/10/2013 9:58 AM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Sat, 10 Aug 2013 12:41:12 +0100, "Ophelia"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> "S Viemeister" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 8/10/2013 4:51 AM, Ophelia wrote:
>>>
>>>> When I was a kid our cottage was very late getting electricity. We had
>>>> all gas and mantles for the lights. We had a very elaborate thing for
>>>> our sitting room, brass with three tiny mantles and long fancy chains on
>>>> each sides The bedrooms just had standard lamps.
>>>>
>>> I used to live in a house where some of the older light fittings were dual
>>> gas and electric - gas mantle on top, light bulb on the bottom.
>>
>> Oohh posh <g>Never heard of those)
>
> Most older city homes are plumbed for gas lighting... electric
> lighting is relatively new... as electric lighting became popular
> (only about 100 years ago) the piping was cut, capped, and plastered
> over... the gas piping is still inside the walls. The house I grew up
> in was built in 1911, it originally had all gas lighting, so did all
> the the houses around... some left the gaslight fixtures because they
> are so decorative, some were electrified. We electrified those in our
> entryway and center hallways on both floors.
>
There are lots of old homes in downtown Charleston that still have gas
lighting. Outside. Purely decorative these days. Flickering gas lamps
by the front door on the veranda. Some have a free-standing lamp by the
drive, also gas. It's charming.

Jill