Miners Lamps

Protector Lamp have been making miners lamps for coal mining at their factory in Eccles since 1873. We sell spare parts, fully refurbished lamps and we carry out miners lamp repairs and servicing on site. We have designed and supplied safety lamps for the Olympic Torch Relay and Holy Fire transit for the last 30 years. We hold a huge stock of spares for Protector Lamp’s and we offer miners lamp repairs and servicing. Led cordless cap lamps for mines and quarries in the UK and overseas.

The GR6S Garforth coal mining lamp is the approved method of checking for firedamp in all UK coal mines. Mining lamps also known as the Eccles or Davy Lamp, are based on the Sir Humphrey Davy  principle. They have been in constant use in coal mines since 1815 replacing candles and other open flames which were the cause of so many explosions.

Olympic Torch Relay

Protector Lamps have carried the Olympic Flame for Olympic and other torch relays over the last 30 years.

Miners Cap Lamps

Type 6 Deputies Relighter Lamp-Coal Miners Lamp

Protector Lamp designed and manufactured The Type 6  miners lamp used for gas testing in coal mines. The lamp will safely burn methane/firedamp without causing an explosion. It is also used to test for carbon monoxide referred to as Black Damp by coal miners.

All miners lamps date their history from the invention of the Davy Lamp in 1816.

It is a development of our earliest safety lamps, first made in 1873. They incorporate the Protector self extinguishing system. This was developed and patented by Joseph Prestwich, the driving force of the company in the late Victorian period. It was tested and approved for use in mines in the 1940’s.

Following Nationalisation in 1947 it became the approved lamp for all UK Coal mines operated by the Ministry of Power under the Labour Government. As the State did not want to create a monopoly supplier they also introduced lamps from Wolf and Thomas & Williams.

Protector Lamp

Protector Lamp is best known as a producer of miners lamps.The flame safety lamp is essentially a highly sophisticated form of oil or spirit lamp of extremely robust construction.

History

The Protector Lamp & Lighting Company was formed in May 1873 to acquire the business and patent rights of William Edward Teale, oil and lamp manufacturer, of 11 Mark Lane, Manchester. The Company’s Memorandum of Association mentions two patents which had been obtained by Mr Teale: one dated 15th November 1869 for ‘Improvements in Mining Lamps’ and the other dated 4th December 1872 for ‘Improvements in Guards for Gas Lights, and in an improved method of Lighting while under the protection of Guards’.

Olympic Torch Relays and transporting the Olympic Flame and Holy Fire, Святой огонь, Sfânt foc

We are the experts on transporting flames on aircraft. Our specially modified miners davy lamps have for 30 years carried the Olympic Flame and the Holy Fire (Святой огонь, Sfânt foc) on commercial and military aircraft.

The Olympic Flame is carried in our specially modified miner’s lamps on planes and when it is not being carried in the Olympic Torch. For each Games a fire is lit at Olympus near Athens and is then flown to the host country.

The Holy Fire is transported by plane to many Orthodox Communities around the the world during the Easter period each year in the same type of modified lamp.

The Holy Fire (Greek Ἃγιον Φῶς, “Holy Light”, Russian; Святой огонь,  Romanian; foc sfânt ) is described by Orthodox Christians as a miracle that occurs every year at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on Great Saturday, or Holy Saturday, the day preceding Orthodox Easter.

If you are involved in a Torch Relay or Flame Transfer please look at the videos below which will show you everything you need to successfully transport and transfer a flame;

Olympic Flame and Holy Fire transit and transfer in a miners lamp

Torch Relay Lamp Gallery

London 2012 Torch Relay, courtesy of Wikipedia

The Olympics torch relay ran from 19 May to 27 July 2012, before the Games. Plans for the relay were developed in 2010–11, with the torch-bearer selection process announced on 18 May 2011.^[112]

On 18 May 2012 the Olympic flame arrived at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall from Greece^[113] on flight BA2012, operated by a British Airways Airbus A319 named “Firefly”. On the flight the flame was carried inside 4 miners lamps supplied by Protector Lamp of Eccles, Greater Manchester.

The relay lasted 70 days, with 66 evening celebrations and six island visits, and involved some 8,000 people carrying the torch about 8,000 mi (12,875 km), starting from Land’s End in Cornwall.^[114] The torch had three days outside the United Kingdom when it visited the Isle of Man on 2 June, Dublin in Ireland, on 6 June,^[115] and both Guernsey and Jersey on 15 July.

The relay focused on National Heritage Sites, locations with sporting significance, key sporting events, schools registered with the Get Set School Network, green spaces and biodiversity, Live Sites (city locations with large screens), and festivals and other events.^[116] Dumfries and Galloway was the only Region in the whole of the United Kingdom that had the Olympic Torch pass through it twice. A group of young athletes, nominated by retired Olympic athletes, ran the torch around the stadium. These torchbearers were Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt, Desiree Henry, Katie Kirk, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds, and Adelle Tracey. Together the torchbearers each lit a petal which spread the fire to the 204 petals of the cauldron, representing the countries that participated in the games.^[117]

Rio 2016 Olympic Torch Relay

Miners Lamp Blog from Eccles,England

Protector Lamp

Protector Lamp have been at Lansdowne Road Eccles since 1890. We still occupy part of our original Lamp Works.

We are open for parts, lamp servicing and miners lamp fuel 9am to 4pm Wednesday and Thursday.

You can contact us at;

Protector Holdings Ltd

Protector Lamp Business Park

Lansdowne Road

Eccles

Manchester

M30 9HD

England

dmather@protectorlamp.com

if you would like to speak to us please email first, so we can avoid lots of robot phone calls! Thanks.