I was incredibly fortunate find this fan at Huddersfield market in Februrary 2023. It caught my eye from a distance while I was meandering around looking for tools but there was a huddle around the stall so I didn’t stop for a closer look because I wasn’t in the mood for pushing in.

After a lap of the rest of the market and not being able to put it out of my mind, I went back to see what it was.

I could tell straight away that it was something special. The globe-shaped motor housing and the crank mechanism really appealed to me. The weight of it was a huge surprise too.

I said to the chap on the stall “I don’t think I’ll be able to afford this, but how much do you want for it?”

He asked if I knew what it was, which I didn’t, and he explained he’d picked it up from an auction a few days before the market and that they were a rare and very sought after fan, made in Birmingham. He got out his phone and showed me a few pics of what they *could* look like. I thought they were absolutely stunning in jet black and the gold hints, with a really hefty price tag though. He showed me some restored items sell for around £2,000.

He wanted £250 for it. Which, looking back, was probably a fair price. Even with the bent blades and missing cage. I spent about 10 minutes gushing over how fantastic it was and anguishing over whether I should be buying it. Not just with him, a few other folk around the stall joined in too! But I managed to drive the price down to a little over £100. I think it helped that he could see that I was smitten with it and that I intended to restore it for myself, rather than to make a quick profit.

Over two years later, I’ve never seen another one of these fans in person and not for the lack of hunting. I know I’d still be full of regret if I hadn’t bought it, even at £250. Lesson learnt.

I walked home with it bundled into a carrier bag, stopping at a chippy to take photos of it to bore my friends with and build up some energy for getting the massive lump of cast iron and brass the rest of the way home.

Anyway, here are some pictures of it the day I bought it.