About Us

A small story about old light, and where it leads

I grew up in New Zealand in the 1950s, when the country was changing faster than the power grid could keep up. Electricity demand was rising, the network was often under strain, and often, when storms rolled in, the “power went off”.  Out came the kerosene lamps Suddenly the house slipped back into an older rhythm — quiet, dim, and lit by kerosene lamps and candles. That warm, steady glow is one of my earliest memories. and candles — not as decoration, but as the way you kept the evening going. That warm, steady glow is one of my earliest memories.
My grandparents still had the lamps they’d used earlier in the 20th century. They lived in an old stone house, and on shelves and tables were these quiet survivors: brass and glass, soot‑darkened chimneys, wicks trimmed by hands long gone. Even as a kid, I was drawn to them. They felt like pieces of family history you could actually hold.
Over the years I bought and sold a few lamps, always keeping an eye out for the ones with good bones and a bit of character. Eventually I decided to restore two I still had. That’s when I discovered something surprising: in a country full of old lamps, it was almost impossible to find wicks, chimneys, or spare parts.
So I thought — why not fix that?
I’m a website designer by trade, so the idea came naturally: create a small, trustworthy place where people can find the parts they need to keep their old lamps burning. A simple, useful resource for anyone who loves these objects as much as I do.
And that’s how Old Time Lamps was born — a sister site to Time Frozen (timefrozen.nz), built with the same spirit of curiosity, care, and respect for the past.
This isn’t a big business. It’s a small workshop project shaped by memory, craft, and the belief that old things deserve another life. If you’ve got a lamp on a shelf, in a shed, or tucked away in a box, maybe it’s time to light it again.
Old light still has a place in the world.
Sometimes it just needs a new wick.