‘Britain’s oldest light bulb’ illuminates the tabloids

Here at Ryness Lighting and Electrical (http://www.ryness.co.uk), we take great pride in offering lightbulbs that last for a pretty long time – but even they would do well to remain lit for as long as a certain light bulb that has been dazzling the tabloids in the last few days.

As first reported in the Daily Express last Saturday before attracting the attention of the Daily Mail, Beth Crook of Morecambe, Lancashire is the proud owner of a light bulb that has been shining for about 130 years – a truly whopping milestone, given that many modern bulbs don’t even last a year. In a demonstration of just what can be achieved when a light bulb is built to last, all six of the old bulb’s internal filaments are still in fine fettle – although they do wobble a bit when in use.

The bulb, which dates back to around 1883, was first owned by the late Florence Crook, who once showed it off to her classmates at school. It’s doubtful back then that she would have anticipated the humble bulb’s amazing subsequent journey into the hands of her son Kenneth, with his 79-year old widow Beth still using it in 2013. As she said to the Daily Express: “It's a real talking point. There is no substitute for craftsmanship.”

The glass of the bulb is adorned by the numbers 200-32:B.56 as well as the letters EDISWAN, distinguishing it as one of the earliest products of the Ediswan factory, where production began in 1881. Ediswan is a key name in the history of light bulbs, given that it was a joint project of the two men who have received independent credit for the light bulb’s invention, the American Thomas Edison and British physicist Sir Joseph Swan.

Swan was responsible for the pioneering use of a vacuum to minimise the amount of oxygen inside the bulb, meaning that its filament could glow white hot without catching fire.

Of course, we can’t guarantee that any of the cheap light bulbs that you purchase from us here at Ryness Lighting and Electrical will necessarily last quite that long! Nonetheless, the longevity of our bulbs is legendary in its own right, with our LED energy saving light bulbs, for example, having a lifespan with average use of some 25,000 hours – which equates to about 25 years!

What’s more, as soon as you switch on these bulbs, you immediately benefit from 100% illumination, with frequent on/off use having no impact on lifespan. Nor is there any UV radiation or mercury content in such bulbs. It’s a firm indication of the kind of quality that you can expect when you purchase your next LED light bulbs from the industry leaders at Ryness Lighting and Electrical (http://www.ryness.co.uk).

Editor’s Note: Ryness Lighting and Electrical (http://www.ryness.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.