Dark Nights - Original BTC Lighting

A Light on Tweed Towers

Today I'm going to let a little light in upon the magic of Tweed Towers. Lights to be precise. Both models you see here ensconced in shady corners of the Towers are from Original BTC Lighting.

The shade from the Circle Line wall light above is made from bone china and based on the old lights you used to see on London's underground. BTC do a lovely range of lights in the Circle Line range, including wall, ceiling and free-standing options. (The paint colour is by Farrow & Ball — I think it's Oxford Stone)

BTC are committed to local manufacturing. The bone china shades for the lights are produced in Stoke-on-Trent. The metal parts for their lighting products are manufactured in Birmingham. Original BTC acquired English Antique Glass in 2011, which specialises in producing highly labour-intensive mouth-blown flat glass using 12th century techniques. This incredible glass — also used for the stained-glass panes at York Minster and Buckingham Palace — is also used in Original BTC's light fittings. I suggest you take a look at the website of English Antique Glass, as they have some very nice tableware including this elegant carafe in ocean blue.

I don't think photographs can do justice to the heft and quality of this glass; and into the bargain you're taking possession of a little bit of ancient English history.

Okay, let's get back to the lights at Tweed Towers.

Original BTC's Hector Bibendum (below) is the latest addition to Tweed Towers (wall colour F&B's Pitch Blue).

The Hector Bibendum (Michelin man) lamp was designed by Sir Terence Conran. Once again the shade is made from bone china. The flex is available in red, blue and yellow. Both the Circle Line and Hector Bibendum produce a nice light, but this one has more of a glow and the Circle Line is more directional, if that's the term.

I couldn't reproduce a good photograph  — try as I might — with either of them switched on.  In fact, the photo of the Hector Bibendum is not good at all. I think you'll need to look at Original BTC's website to appreciate this one.

(N.B. I can't tell you anything about the miniature portrait in the ivory frame you see in the picture.)

There we have it. It was good to get that off my chest. I think we know each other a bit better now. Did I overshare? And they say I value my privacy too much in this age of exposure.