How do you clean the glass inside?

The easiest method is to leave the antique hall lantern hanging. Prop the access door open carefully. Use a soft lint-free cloth and a basic glass spray. Spray the cloth rather than the pane to stop drips pooling in the brass gallery.

I want to put one of these in my front porch but it is quite exposed to the wind, will the glass shatter if it swings?

A heavy antique frame rarely swings much. The cast brass construction gives it enough weight to hang true in a normal draught. If the porch is fully open to gales, it might be safer to fix the base to a wall bracket. Chain-hung lanterns suit enclosed vestibules better.

Can they take modern heavy lightbulbs?

Yes. An electrician will fit standard threaded lampholders during the rewire. The metal arms that once held heavy glass oil fonts easily support modern LED bulbs.

When they converted these old gas fittings to electricity in the twentieth century, did they have to drill holes through the original brasswork to run the wires?

Usually they used the existing gas channels. The hollow tubes that carried gas down from the ceiling hook were wide enough for early electrical flex. Sometimes you find small exit holes drilled near the burner taps. These alterations are part of the working history of the piece. Modern restorers often thread thin modern cables through those same routes. This leaves the outer brasswork unaltered.

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Antique Hall Lanterns

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Suspended from the ceiling of grand entranceways, antique hall lanterns were designed to protect candles or oil lamps from draughts while casting a welcoming glow.