What concerns me is they keep selling Rolls Royce engines to China. In a few years, poor copies will flood the market. How short sighted.

Same thing happened with Decca Marine Radar having models made in S Korea in the 80’s. Decca engineers had to go out there to show them how to do it. They were machining duplexers out of solid, who can compete with that! The writing was on the wall and now we say Decca, who?

A great thread – really enjoying the contributions!

Second that, many thanks for all of these and taking the trouble to create and post, they are much appreciated. Keen interest in the “then and now” style pics in all subjects.

Can you describe what the mechanism shown does, is it driven by the mangle or vice versa, or does it move the mangles apart? Are those electrical cables? If so where do they go? Does the shaft to which the black cast bracket is attached rotate and is it connected to anything inside?
Does that arm protruding from the bottom of the plate with 4 screws pass up between the screws and the two cog wheels and perhaps operate the two matching dogs? So if you pushed the arm upwards does it operate levers that lift off the two matching dogs linked by the spring?
That plate also has a bolt in a slot with a spring going upwards, would that be connected to the third large dog?
I’m thinking it is a feed mechanism with the two small dogs preventing unwanted backward movement and the large dog used to rotate the mechanism and the mangles. If these rotate the mangles then this is very probably a feed mechanism feed direction depending on if there is any other gearing. Are there more gears? Is there anything to show what operates the large dog which would push clockwise?
If it was a wick the top would need to be open, do you have a pic of the top?
Looks like seams on the sides so these wood be rolled tubes rust indicates steel. Cast end caps probably alloy as no rust.
I think a picture of the large top end would help a lot as it looks like it might be closed.
In relation to lighthouse wick looked here but could not see anything like this.
http://www.dejaelaine.com/lighthouselights.html

Certainly interesting objects, sorry all questions and no answers. Sure somebody out there will recognise them.

Not aware of one but now is the time. Our engineering heritage has not been valued in the past and much has been allowed to be destroyed. Over the last ten to twenty years I think there has been a massive increase in public awareness of our great engineering past which is reflected in the ever growing number of restored
aeroplanes and steam engines, reopened canals and railway lines. This is extending to new builds both in steam and planes and an ever increasing number of museums. This is all great but we must stop the destruction of what is left before it is too late as developers, aware of this increasing interest, now tend to pull down as quickly as possible to avoid getting embroiled in debate. Of course, you cannot save everything but some examples have very historic significance and at the very least should be comprehensively surveyed. RAF Sealand South Camp is a good example where I understand a survey was originally promised but demolition started without warning and all is now gone.
http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/showthread.php/58435-RAF-Sealand/page2

An RAF Swingate radar mast was taken down without warning however, since then the site has been listed although this may not save the remaining masts.
http://www.kenthistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=4392.0

We have the Statutory List of Buildings of special Architectural or Historic Interest and the Scheduled Ancient Monuments do these or could they provide a class of listing which would at least require full documentation/survey before demolition. Or does this already exist as you hear of excavations being halted to allow archaeological digs.

Presumably what is needed is a body of active enthusiasts that could document and present cases to these organisations to allow at least documentation before demolition.

Ah well I suppose one can dream on, until it is too late.