William Sugg & Company, London – manufacturer of the Duddell Street Gas lamps, Central
A brief desciption of the well known Duddell Street Gas lamps in an AMO Declared Monuments online document suggests the lamps were “Two-light Rochester models made by Suggs and Co., the gas lamps were designed in a shorter length than was standard at the time in order to allow them to be mounted on the parapets of the steps. Originally lit manually, they are now operated automatically.: (1)
Until corrected I am assuming this Suggs And Co., is William Sugg and Co.. Here is a brief company biography. Any information which can directly link the company as the manufacturer of the gas lamps would very welcome. Or, if so, other examples of Sugg’s products in Hong Kong.
1837 Company established by William Sugg.
1881 Public company. Incorporated as a limited company. The company was registered on 30 June, to take over the business of Mr. Sugg as inventor, constructor and vendor of gas-burning appliances.
1906 Advert Courtesy: Grace’s Guide
1911 Sugg and Co exhibited a gas calorimeter, at the Physical Society’s Exhibition
1914 Engineers. Specialities: incandescent gas burners, lamps and lights, gas cooking stoves, gas testing apparatus, iron and brass founding. Employees 430.
1961 Engineers and manufacturers of lighting, heating, cooking and ventilating apparatus, including “Halcyon” selective air heating system and “Queen Convectair” gas fires.
1969 Thorn Electrical Industries acquired the company, mainly for its central heating interests (2)
- “Duddell Street Steps & Gas Lamps”. Antiquities and Monuments Office, Government of Hong Kong.
- William Sugg & Company – Grace’s Guides
See:
- Sugg Lighting Company – website
- Grace’s Guide – website, Grace’s Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in the UK. The scope is gradually being extended to include non-UK businesses and biographies. Additions are being made to the information daily by a team of volunteers who give freely of their time and expertis
This article was first posted on 2nd November 2017.
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William Sugg & Co Ltd did supply the 4 lamps on the Duddell Street steps. They are early models and the Horstmann 3a UNI clockwork controllers have been added later. The later models have cast clock boxes to enclose the controller. This indicates that the lamps are likely to be pre 1930, possibly 1925 and there are several pictures of work carried out in Hong Kong in a promotional booklet dating from 1925. You can find a growing amount of information on the original William Sugg company on my website William Sugg History. The Rochester & Littleton page is at http://williamsugghistory.co.uk/?page_id=344
The Sugg Lighting Company Ltd is the follow-on company that I started with colleagues following the takeover of the original company in 1960 and retired from in 2005.
If you have any queries please contact me.
Christopher Sugg
Hi Christopher,
I actually own a Suggs and Co Gas lamp the same as in Durrell Street Hong Kong and I’m just about to put it up for sale – do you think it’s quit rare, as I’ve only ever seen these lamps in Hong Kong – any thoughts please,
Regards, Richard.
I worked at Sugg in the mid sixties at Vincent street in the lab. As the boy who could build a furnace, use a lathe and, importantly to the others, find his way around a circuit diagram.
Hello Tim,
I actually own a Suggs and Co Gas lamp the same as in Durrell Street Hong Kong and I’m just about to put it up for sale – do you think it’s quit rare, as I’ve only ever seen these lamps in Hong Kong – any thoughts please,
Regards, Richard.