Thomas & Williams Miners Lamp - Copper
CA7809
Description
Welsh Miners Lamp in Copper
By E. Thomas & Williams
Approx 10 Inches high.
Quality Presentation Box Included
About E. Thomas & Williams
The company was founded in 1860 by Evan Thomas, and was originally based at premises in Cardiff Street, Aberdare. In 1877 it moved to new premises at Graig Street just off Monk Street, Aberdare. Mr. Lewis N. Williams who was an authority on the theory and construction of safety lamps joined Mr. Evan Thomas in the business. In 1907 the business became a limited company operating under the name of E.Thomas & Williams Ltd.
During the 1880s and 1890s the company exhibited lamps at various important industrial exhibitions, winning many prestigious awards including the gold medal at the London Mining Exhibition. The expansion of the coal industry was creating an active home market for their goods and exports were also on the increase with goods being exported to countries such as Australia, India, South Africa, Canada, America and Russia.
The coming of the First World War saw the company making shell casings for the Army, with the workforce reaching 70. The years between the wars were not so successful however and the depression led to a decline in business and a cut in the workforce. It was the Second World War, which brought about an upturn in their business, with the company winning contracts from the Ministry of Supply for the manufacture of steel parts and a small battery operated "Lightbuoy" designed to locate survivors from torpedoed ships.
Following the war the company continued to prosper until the decline of the coal industry in the UK forced management to look for alternatives for its workforce. It was the company's practice of manufacturing Cambrian Miners' Lamps for presentation to political, military and sporting dignitaries that was to provide a solution to their problem. Very soon the company's product was to find its way into shops all around the world. This departure into the gift market did not however signal an end to the production of safety lamps. The Cambrian Safety Lamp is still seen as an essential tool for detecting dangerous gas build ups and is used in collieries, ships holds and sewers today.
The company continues to operate from a factory in Robertstown, having moved there after their Aberdare premises were destroyed by fire in 1978. With a staff of around 12 they continue to produce approx. 1500 fine crafted lamps per month for sale around the world and are the only approved manufacturer of safety lamps in Wales. Now 70% of the factory output goes for export in countries as wide spread as America, Canada, Scandinavia and throughout Europe with only a small proportion used in connection with mining. It is hoped that the appearance of cheap imitation lamps on the market will not not affect the sales and possibly the future of this long established local company that has been in existence over 140 years.
Delivery
Under normal circumstances all orders received by 4pm (Monday to Friday) will be dispatched within 24 hours assuming the stock is available. In the case of stock not being available we will contact you to discuss alternative arrangements.
Shipped packages to mainland UK destinations should arrive between one to two working days from despatch. Please note that any special instructions attached to any orders must relate to the products only and are not instructions left for the postman.
All standard packages to the mainland UK are charged at a flat rate of £4.50 and are shipped with DHLs next day tracked delivery service. If the package is small enough to fit in a letterbox, it may be posted via Royal Mail. Large packages that need to be posted as a parcel may incur additional delivery charge depending on the size.
Returns
We offer a 28 day no-quibble money back guarantee!
You can return your item(s) to us within 28 days of receiving your order for a complete refund. All that we ask is that the item(s) must be returned to us in their original as new condition with all of the tags attached and the item(s) still in their original packaging. Items that have been used, washed, soiled or damaged in any way will invalidate our offer. Engraved items can only be returned if there is a mistake made by ourselves or the engravers.
You are entitled to return your item(s) to us in their original condition within 28 days of receiving your order for an exchange. This means that you can replace your original order with item(s) from our online shop up to but not exceeding the value of your original purchase. You are strongly advised to use signed-for (recorded) delivery when returning orders - we will not be held responsible for returns that go missing in the post.
International customers wishing to return items for exchange or refund must do so at their own cost. Orders cancelled within 24 hours of being placed are subject to a 2.5% charge to cover credit card fees.
Please remember to include your original order number when communicating with us.
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All transaction information passed between our website and the SagePay Payment System is encrypted using 128-bit SSL certificates. No cardholder information is ever passed unencrypted and all messages from SagePay are signed using MD5 hashing to prevent tampering. You can be completely secure in the knowledge that nothing passed to SagePay can be examined, used or modified by any third parties attempting to gain access to sensitive information.
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SagePay has multiple private links into the banking network that are completely separate from the Internet and which do not cross any publicly accessible networks. Any cardholder information sent to the banks and any authorisation message coming back is secure and cannot be tampered with.
No individuals within our company or SagePay are able to decrypt transaction information or cardholder data. Their systems only allow access to our most senior staff and only in extenuating circumstances (such as investigations of Card Fraud by the Police). Your card information is secure even from their own employees because the systems never display the full card numbers, even on administration screens.
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