Topic: ‘Mystery’ glass paperweight marked Rd. No. 160988 ST. PANCRAS IRON WORKS LONDON

[Paul S.]

uhmmmm  -  I remember sending you a variety of pix that related to Registrations that we had discussed off-Board - un-watermarked.      Believe you then posted these topics on the Board to which I then added the same pix, but with the watermarking.
My filing system is non-existent, so can't now check back to see exactly what I did send  -  it doesn't really matter now since Ian has posted the Register entry, but I might add the 'mystery' Representations page which is minus the original drawing etc.         I think the cracks are beginning to show.

All got a bit confused now but no matter, we know the purpose of the item and our research is at an end anyway.

[ian.macky]

There remains the mystery as to what the other Registration - No. 160987 - referred to ........  you can see from the page you've posted that it was originally for the two numbers.

Presumably the same sort of thing, but different.  There were ever so many variations on the theme.  Perhaps someday one will turn up, and if I get my sweaty paws on it, you shall hear the details.  I'm not holding my breath, though: this is the first St Pancras pavement light I've ever seen for sale, and I've been looking for years.

[agincourt17]

My profound apologies, Paul.

You did indeed email me the un-watermarked pics of the register entry on 8th July but I had mis-filed the email so that it didn't show up when I searched for it later. You didn't send the pic of the representations page, however. because

Unfortunately, the Representations Book is without any image, and instead a blue pencilled note has been inserted..... which reads  "Rd. 160988 Taken out - see Corr. 641/2195".

Fred. 

[Paul S.]

thanks Fred - obviously I'm not losing too many marbles then    -  but enough to have made a big mistake of deleting both pictures from my pc.

No matter - Ian has done the necessary as far as the Register goes, and you've now provided the wording from the Representations book, so nothing more we can do and am sure we've exhausted every avenue.

[ian.macky]

"Rd. 160988 Taken out - see Corr. 641/2195"

What is "Corr. 641/2195"?

[Paul S.]

We know what it means in the obvious sense, but not the whys and wherefores  .......

According to Julie Halls at TNA, she believes that it refers to some very old  'Correspondence', and that the '641/2195' was the Board of Trade reference for that correspondence - which if we could see it, would explain all.          What it meant and whether this correspondence still exists seems apparently to be unknown and unlikely.
Although I've accidentally deleted my picture of the Representations page for 160988, I have photographed other virtually identical pages where the original drawing or photo is no longer present, and a similar 'Corr.' written note is all that remains  ................    see the attached pix.
               
However, in these other examples you'll see there is a rubber stamp comment which says  'Cert. not Issued'. etc.
 ........   so does that explain the absence of our missing picture/drawing for 160988  -  i.e. it was an unsuccessful Registration, and as such the factory image was removed from the Representations page.                        I know nothing about pavement lights or their invention etc., so can't comment as to the possibility that there may have been some problems with validity of such a Registration.
Unfortunately, I now can't remember if the page for Rd. 160988 also said  'Cert. not Issued'.               I might look again some day.               

[Anne]

Wee snippet here about the St Pancras Iron Works, which has a mention of "Scott's Patent Glass Walls and Economical Greenhouses" - don't know if there's a connection?

http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/St._Pancras_Ironwork_Co

[ian.macky]

Wee snippet here about the St Pancras Iron Works, which has a mention of "Scott's Patent Glass Walls and Economical Greenhouses" - don't know if there's a connection?

Aha, thank you for that, glass walls are one of my things... and they are related to pavement lights since both are articles for daylighting.  Will be looking into this Scott fellow.

Hmm, 1868 Laxton's; my earliest is 1878...  I've been looking for earlier ones, but had not thought to go before 1871, which is when Hayward introduced their semi-prism pavement light... guess this changes my mind.

...time passes...

The Catalogue of the Library of the Patent Office for 1881 says:

SCOTT (J. R.), of the St. Pancras Iron Works Company. Wall Fruit, and how to grow it by an improved system of Glass Walls.  London, 1866?  12mo.  (13735)

Perhaps he was the St Pancras design man; if so, he may have been involved in the pavement light designs too...

[ian.macky]

The Gardeners Chronicle & New Horticulturist, Volume 25 (1865) has a cut of Scott's system.  Looks to be a modular sheet-glass based system, lightweight and portable, not a permanent glass brick or block structure.  Not my thing after all, oh well...