Life span of 25 years, more like 60!

Coughtrie are regularly sent images of fittings that have been around for a long time, have been re-conditioned and often the owners are unsure how old they really are. Recently, two images came in, both had the same element of mystery of how old they were and how they ended up where they were.

60 years old and in full working order

The first one was from a customer who bought the SP in a car boot sale around 40 years ago. However, when it was purchased, it was not new, it is likely it was already around 20 years old, this makes the fitting about 60 years old today and still in full working order! The owners of the fitting have taken it with them to every house they have moved to and there are still no signs of damage. Recently, the fitting has been stripped down and re-painted to keep its look. The owners are unsure of where it came from originally, there is thought it was originally owned by the manager of the local power station who may have brought it home from work. The fitting looks as good as the day they brought it home, they see no reason as to why it won’t last another 40 years.

“We noted your name on the casing when stripping it down and were thrilled to find that you are still producing these quality items. We ourselves are bespoke cabinet makers who produce functional works of art which we expect to last for generations, so we really appreciate the value of doing things properly and not cutting corners. You are a breath of fresh air in today’s throwaway culture, and long may you continue” Elaine and Eddie.

Howth Lighthouse, Dublin

The second was from our distributor who are based in Dublin. They sent us the image of the lighthouse in Howth, on the North Coast of Dublin. The SP is fitted above the door, and again it is in full working order today. The lighthouse is maintained by the Commissioners of Irish Lights, our distributor carried out an investigation for us by asking current employees if they knew anything about how the fitting ended up there, as expected they were all too young to know anything about its origin. The two-story house was built in 1953 for the Principal Keeper. We estimate the fitting has been there since the lighthouse was built some 68 years ago.

SP Heritage

The SP was originally tooled in the early 1950’s and is still manufactured and sold from the same location today. The design largely remains the same today, almost 70 years on, the most significant difference is the introduction of LED options due to advancements in technology.

The fitting is section 12 approved for rail tunnel applications and 1000hr salt spray test approved for marine applications. The SP has a toughened glass diffuser suitable for extreme high and extreme cold temperatures.

Our Carbon Footprint

Coughtrie are committed to reducing our environmental impact as well as only providing quality products that are guaranteed to last. We offer retro-fit LED conversion kits with the latest energy efficient LEDs to upgrade existing SP fittings avoiding throwing away the full fitting.

Contact Us

Do you have a fitting that you have maintained well for a long period of time, or do you have a fitting that we could help re-manufacture? Please get in contact, we would love to hear your story – [email protected].

Find more technical information on the SP on our website https://www.coughtrie.com/sp/

The SP is also available to purchase on our shop https://www.coughtrie.com/product-category/sp/

If you are looking for a more customised fitting or more information please contact us, 0141 882 3262 or [email protected]