Fan lights with function

Have you ever wandered along a street an admired the beautiful fan lights over the front doors? They are often ornate and intricate, but did you know that they are not simply added to admit light, in bygone days they had a valuable function.

In England you will find many beautiful Georgian squares, all looking cookie cutter alike, but with one subtle difference. They all have unique fan lights over the front door. There was a time when house numbers did not grace the front of a home. The only way that a visitor could distinguish the correct address was by checking for the proper fan light window. Wealthy homeowners would have their calling cards printed up with a picture of their fan light. The visitor would then match them up to make sure that they were at the right address. In Georgian and Victorian London, it was common to make calls on a friend or aquaintance as part of the upper echelons daily routine. People had regular receiving hours and if one was not available for a visit, the guest would leave his calling card in a special tray in the front foyer.

Of course now all the houses are numbered, imagine the problems with delivery back then!!! The next time you are passing an older neighbourhood, check out their fan lights, they will usually all be different.