Roger Dyball and Light bulb shines for more than 100 years

A century after it was first made, the steady bulb keeps on shining as reliably as ever.

And its owner Roger Dyball, who at 74 is more than 25 years younger than the bulb burning brightly in his porch, says it looks as though the light will keep on going. 

'It's absolutely brilliant - and, at this rate, it will burn for ever,' he said.

Proud: 74-year-old Roger Dyball pictured with the 100-year-old lightbulb in his porch

Mr Dyball and his wife Patricia, also 74, have lived in their family home in Lowestoft, West Suffolk for 45 years and believe the bulb was already in place well before they moved in.

He said: 'We have been here since 1967 and the fitting was here when we arrived.

Careful now: Roger Dyball proudly displays the lightbulb that has lit up his porch in Lowestoft for 100 years

 'We have just left it there with all its original fittings and it has never gone out.'
Roger said he knows so much about the history of the venerable bulb because it caught his eye shortly after he moved into the house.

Century: The lightbulb in Lowestoft, West Suffolk has now gone for 100 'not out' this month

In an effort to find out more about it, he wrote to Osram-GEC's head office in London, including in his correspondence the serial number printed on the bulb.

On January 30, 1968 the electrical goods giant replied to his highly unusual inquiry, telling him: 'From the numbers quoted in your letter we would estimate that this lamp was manufactured sometime in July 1912.'

Century: The lightbulb in Lowestoft, West Suffolk has now gone for 100 'not out' this month

Delighted Roger framed the certification and put it up just a few feet away from his extra-special centenary lightbulb in the porch.

The bulb was turned out at the Osram GEC Lampworks factory in Wembley, north-west London, as King George V sat on the throne.

And the Great War was still two years away when it first started to shine.

'We think it must have been hand-made and I was quite impressed at the time that Osram actually got back to me - and that they had the records to go back that far,' said the keen gardener.

Desperate to find out more about the lightbulb, fascinated Roger has also carried out some of his own research.

'In 1870, there were gas lights in the town, so with all the streets being dug up around 1912 this area must have had electricity laid within that first year,' he said

Roger, who used to work in the quality control department at Birds Eye in Lowestoft, said he believed the secret of the bulb's stunning long life lay in its robust design, which sets it apart from modern lightbulbs.

'It has a very thick filament, which is why it has not gone out at all,' he said.

'We continue to just use it despite people telling us time and again not to.

Disposable: Roger says he believes his lightbulb has lasted so long due to its thick filament, which sets it apart from modern equivalents

'I don't think it will ever go out!'
The country's oldest working bulb surfaced in September 2008 when it was a magnificent 113 years old.
Retired electrician Roy Fisher, 78, discovered the true treasure as he renovated the cellar of a house in Margate, Kent.
Sotheby’s auction house estimated the bulb could have been made as early as 1895 - just 15 years after Thomas Edison first invented the light bulb in 1880.
Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/