Help! London 1620-1650 streetlighting

Hi Newmod, I'd say you're in the right forum for your question. I'm assuming you're talking about people moving around outside rather than inside a dwelling. Is that correct? I don't have any answers at this moment but I did also have a thought that I think I've seen movies with torches mounted on carriages and/or hand held for illumination. I'll see what I can find and post again later. Puma

Yes, pitch torches specifically. People could hire "link boys" to light their way through the street with the torches. It's unlikely you'd use a candle or rush light outside, unless it was shielded in some sort of lantern, and oil lamps were primitive and smoky until the late 18th century.

Not sure about carriages--torches are possible, so are lanterns.

A good reference for you might be the Diary of Samuel Pepys, which is available in full-text online--just slightly later than your time period (1659-69), so should give you lots of period detail.

newmod said:

Hi everyone, hope you are all well.

I have a couple of very specific query about lighting in London between 1620-50 (I´m trying to write about that period).

I´ve looked around and it seems that street lights were not put in place until after 1670, but I´m not 100% sure so that´s point one.

The second is if people used oil lamps to move around at night or candle?

Any help or advice would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Take care,
Newmod

p.s. I hope that I´ve put this in the right forum. If not apologies in advance to the mods

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The first oil street lamps in London were in 1681 but were still not common. In the late 17th century William III (the king) had 300 oil lamps erected to light Rotten Row in London's Hyde Park which made the first lit thoroughfare in history. This would all be decades later than your time period.
Street lighting was not in existenance. Those who traveled by night on foot could be lead with a torch or lantern....torch being much more likely.

Oil lamps are a far later innovation. Lighting in your stated time period would have come from rushlights and/or candles depending on the social status of your characters. All classes used firelight as well.

Rushlights - a combination of rush pith and beef tallow - were used by the poor. Candles were made from both beef tallow and beeswax but those of beeswax were preferred by the upper classes because they smelled better.

Even among the wealthy candles were used with care and seldom more than a few at one time. Candles were used to lit the way to bed and special candle holders for these existed. Although chandeliers existed, they were seldom used except for a royal wedding or similar major function.

The danger of fire was both common and very real. Even before the Great Fire of London in 1666, fires were common and often caused by stray candles.

As has been mentioned Pepys diary can serve as an excellent research tool to provide an eyewitness view of the period.

Lighting.

Some nice answers for you, newmod.

A couple of things. People didn't move around at night much. Your average decent citizens stayed in out of harm's way. The thieves and cut-throats were busy in the dark.
Wealthy people had their own link boys and carriages did have lanthorns.
Rowdies drinking at pubs did so in groups and went home in groups. Often they stayed at the pub all night as most London pubs were bawdy houses as well. People did not go out at night to the local pub for a friendly drink.
The Night Watch (See Much Ado About Nothing ) would challenge anyone out at night.

People knew enough science to use reflection so carriage lamps and night lanthorns did have shiny metal reflectors.

Watch makers and tailors, embroiderers, people who used their eyes, had glass globes filled with water around their candles that magnified the light. Some wealthy town houses had a globe light lit for their wealthy owner's return at the time their owner was expected.

Don't forget the Thames was a better road than the actual streets and was much used.

Maybe?

Okay, you've got broadsheet writers at work?
I think they would have to print during the day because they'd need good light to set the type up. They'd probably move off at pre-dawn and post-dusk.
Amazing how important moonlight was for travellers isn't it?

newmod - it looks to me like others on this board have come through pretty well for you so I'm not going to look into it. I will say though that what you've described of the piece you're working on sounds interesting. Puma

pdr said:

The Night Watch (See Much Ado About Nothing ) would challenge anyone out at night.

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WHAT? There was a Night Watch?

How will my vampires travel 1696-1706 London without being seen by...

...unless I want them to be seen!

Oh man, I love this site!

Thanks for the idea pdr!

Thank you?

Don't mention it!

ok, now I'm VERY glad for this thread. I just ran into a situation where I needed this London by light info in my WIP.

Thanks again!