The Avery Light
Two found objects, a puzzle, and a certain amount of detective work. The result is something that couldn’t have been designed — only discovered.
Built for the stage.
Made for your home.
The base arrived as part of a pair — two cast-iron stands, not quite identical, with nobody entirely sure what they were. The general assumption was fireplace companions of some kind. Wrong. Research into Birmingham heritage records and an old auction listing eventually cracked it: the central support column from a W&T Avery weighing apparatus. Victorian engineering, made to last, and entirely unbothered by the passage of time.
Mounted on top is a Strand Electric theatre spotlight — Made in England, as it proudly states on the back. Strand Electric were founded in 1914 by two London theatre electricians and went on to light the West End’s greatest stages from their Covent Garden works. This lamp dates from somewhere in the 1950s to 1960s, and most of its kind have long since been lost or scrapped. This one survived.
It has been completely dismantled, refurbished and resprayed — part gloss black, part matte black. The cast-iron base has been de-rusted and finished in gloss black, but the pit marks have been left exactly as found. Smoothing them out would have been dishonest.
The cable is five metres of teal blue braided flex from Creative Cables in Italy — coiled deliberately as a feature in itself, because five metres of quality flex deserves better than being stuffed behind a radiator. The bulb is a TP-Link smart: colour changing, dimmable, controlled from any phone via the app.
Two centuries of British engineering in a single object. It doesn’t need a dark corner. It needs a room that deserves it.
All angles
Every piece is unique. These photographs show the exact item for sale.
The Details
- Height105 cm / 41 in
- Weight8 kg / 17 lbs
- BaseVictorian W&T Avery cast-iron stand, de-rusted, gloss black — 36 × 17 cm / 14 × 7 in
- Spread28 cm / 11 in (barn doors open)
- LightStrand Electric theatre spotlight, 1950s–60s, Made in England
- FinishPart gloss black, part matte black
- BulbTP-Link smart bulb — colour changing and dimmable via app
- Cable5 metres, teal blue braided flex, Creative Cables Italy
- ConditionFully restored and working
On the Engineering
The fabrication is the work of a skilled craftsman. The junction between the Avery stand and the spotlight is custom-made and properly finished — this is not an item assembled from off-the-shelf components.
The Strand Electric name is cast directly into the lamp body, along with “Made in England”. Strand went on to become one of the most respected names in theatrical lighting, supplying the West End for decades. Most of their early lamps are gone. This one isn’t.
On Placement
At approximately four feet tall this is a considered presence rather than an overwhelming one. It works in a corner, beside a reading chair, or anywhere a room needs something that rewards a second look.
It is not delicate. It does not need to be fussed over. It is, quite simply, the kind of object that stops people in their tracks.
One piece. No replicas.
Collection from north of Lincoln, or personal delivery within 100 miles by arrangement. This is not a shipping item — it deserves better than a courier.