Timer for gas street lamp

Timer for gas street lamp, made by the Horstmann Gear Co. Ltd, Bath, c.1900.

A Gas Lamp Timer produced by Horstmann Gear Co. Ltd. of Bath in around 1900. The first widespread use of gas was for street lighting in the early nineteenth century. The gas used then was coal gas. This was produced by baking coal. When coal gets hot, it softens and coal gas is released. Not everyone welcomed the use of gas. Early gas lighting smelt and people were fearful of gas explosions. However, gas lighting made streets safer, reducing street crime. The first gas lamps were lit and put out by hand every day. However, from 1878 clockwork timers like this one began to be fitted. They still required human input: the timer for gas street lights needed to be adjusted every two weeks to account for the changing lengths of days. They consisted of a clockwork mechanism which rotated at the set time to lift a lever which turned the gas on and off. The gas was lit by a pilot light (a small flame which burns continually).