A rare brass hanging ships gimbal light with attached plaque that reads 'RIDSDALE & CO MINORIES. LONDON' measuring 40cm in height. Quality brass throughout with thick glass shade, originally oil but now converted to electric.
Joseph and Alfred Ridsdale, brassworkers, took George Charles Spurgin, from Helensburgh, into their partnership at 54 Minories in 1874 until his retirement. They later traded as as Binko, Ridsdale & Co Ltd., nautical and general lamp manufacturers, having merged with Binko & Co, electricians and lampmakers, and from 1899 as Nunn, Ridsdale & Co. (taking G.H. Gibson into partnership), still from the Minories address with works at 'Shadwell' (which presumably means the Cable Street premises). They advertised in the Marine Engineer & Naval Architect (1900) as manufacturers of every description of ship's lamps, lanterns, fog horns, ship fittings, Holmes' rescue and distress signals, Colo'moll flashing signals, and Robertson's patent rowlocks &c. They also made railway lamps, and converted oil lamps for electricity. Their marine lights were on display in the naval and marine engineering collection at the Science Museum in South Kensington in 1911. But in 1922 the company was voluntarily wound up.
So this lamp is well over 100 years old at least and by looking at the quality of its manufacture I can see why it still looks so good.
Weighs 6 kilos