Candle branch

Object Type
These gilt-bronze wall candlesticks were designed by L.N. Cottingham (1787-1847) for the interior of the Chapel of Magdalen College, Oxford. They are in the Gothic style and are based on the wall-candlesticks which are often depicted in 15th-century Flemish paintings. A few German examples dating from the 15th century have survived, and these were available for Cottingham to copy.

Design & Designing
Lewis Nockalls Cottingham (1787-1847) was one of the first Gothic Revival architects. He restored the central tower of Rochester Cathedral in 1825 and built a private home - Snelston Hall, Derbyshire - in the Gothic style shortly afterwards. He did much to promote the revival of medieval architecture in England and worked on the restoration of St Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire and Hereford Cathedral.

Ownership & Use
As a Revivalist architect with a reputation for his wide knowledge and appreciation of Gothic, Cottingham won the competition for the restoration of the interior of the Chapel at Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1829. (Throughout his career he was also greatly admired for his draughtsmanship.) These wall-lights formed part of a flexible and efficient lighting system for Magdalen's Chapel. The tubular sockets at the base fitted into brackets permanently fixed to a wall or pillar. The wall-lights could be rotated in a particular direction or removed as required.