Electric lighting was installed in
the majority of houses in Preston in the 1950s, although some of the wealthier
houses had installed electricity as far back as the 1930s. Alscot Park had an
electricity supply by the 1890s.
Before then, lighting was given by
oil lamps, firelight or candles – if such things could be afforded. They all
had to be carefully extinguished before going to bed: accidental fires were
common.
Last thing at night, a portable
candlestick holder lit one's way to bed. This was simply a metal cylinder to
hold the candle, a dish to catch drips of wax, and a curved piece to hook over
a finger. This daily ritual filtered into popular culture via the nursery rhyme
Oranges and Lemons:
“Here comes the candle to light you
to bed.”
Most children can still recite this
line, two generations after the last bedside candle was blown out.
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