Collections · By finish

Antique Brass Outdoor Wall Lights at KES

26 antique brass wall lanterns and outdoor wall lights, mostly solid brass and built for weather.

Elstead St Martins Outdoor Coastal Wall Lantern in Solid Brass, lit, in a styled room. Editorial image for the Antique Brass Outdoor Wall Lights collection.

Aged brass for a period front door

Elstead's coastal lanterns dominate this page for a reason: solid brass that cannot rust, finished in an aged brass that starts part way to the patina it will reach on its own. The St Martins is the compact one, the Mansion House the grand one, and the Victoria sits between.

26 lanterns, from £65, more than half of them Elstead.

What we'd tell you in the showroom

For a front door, one lantern at 1.7m on the latch side is enough on a cottage. A wider door or a porch takes a pair. Buy the size for the wall, not the door: the St Martins at 30cm high suits a cottage, the Large at 41cm a townhouse.

If the house faces the sea, insist on solid brass. Elstead's coastal range carries a limited lifetime warranty because the metal does not corrode. A brass-effect steel lantern will not give you that.

Anne McKenna, senior sales

Antique Brass Outdoor Wall Lights

Brass outdoors behaves differently to brass indoors, and that is the whole appeal. Left to itself, solid brass weathers to a soft grey-brown patina that no factory finish can fake. Some people lacquer it to hold the colour. Most, in our experience, let it go.

Why brass for an exposed wall

Solid brass does not rust. That makes it the default choice for coastal and exposed sites, where painted steel will eventually blister and corrode. Elstead's coastal range, which forms most of this collection, is built for exactly that: the St Martins, Victoria, Mansion House and Downing Street lanterns are solid brass throughout.

Ratings and fitting

Check the IP rating against the position. IP44 suits a sheltered entrance, IP65 an exposed wall taking direct weather. Mount at around eye level, roughly 165cm to 170cm, and for a pair either side of a door, keep them level with each other rather than with the door furniture.

See also our full outdoor wall lights and porch lighting.

Antique Brass Outdoor Wall Lights Recommendations & Buying Advice

Solid unlacquered brass will weather to a soft patina over months and years, which is usually why people choose it. Lacquered brass holds its original colour for longer. Neither is a fault, but they end up looking quite different after a few winters, so decide which you want before you buy.

It is one of the best materials for it, because solid brass does not rust in salt air where painted steel will. Look for fittings described as coastal or marine grade, which are built and finished specifically for exposed seaside positions.

IP44 for a sheltered position such as a covered porch, IP65 for an exposed wall taking driving rain. Every fitting lists its rating on the product page. If the wall gets direct weather, choose IP65.

For a lacquered finish, a wipe with a damp cloth is enough; avoid metal polish, which will cut through the lacquer. For unlacquered brass, leave it alone unless you specifically want to bring the shine back, in which case a proprietary brass polish will do it, and the patina will return.

Yes, provided the IP rating suits the position. For paths, borders and garden walls, also look at our outdoor and garden lighting, which includes bollards, ground lights and lamp posts.