Outdoor Wall Lanterns

Where a wall lantern earns its place

A lantern beside a front door is the one exterior light a visitor actually reads. Mounted at head height or a little above, it lights the step, the lock and the face of whoever is standing there. Pairs either side of a door look deliberate rather than functional. Along a garden wall or a side passage, a single lantern every few metres gives enough light to walk by without turning the garden into a forecourt. Set the fitting so the lamp sits near eye level and the glass does its work, because mounted too high a lantern throws most of its light onto the wall above it.

Weather ratings, and which one you need

Most of our lanterns are rated IP44, which means protected against splashing water from any direction. That is the right rating for a wall under an eave, beside a door or along a sheltered passage, and it covers ordinary British rain. Where a wall takes driving rain off open ground or sits close to the coast, look for IP54, which adds dust protection and handles heavier water. The rating is stamped on the fitting and listed in the specification on every product page here.

Sizing a lantern to the wall

The common mistake is going too small. A lantern that looks generous in the hand often disappears on a house frontage. As a rough guide, a lantern beside a standard door wants to be about a fifth to a quarter of the door height. On a wide elevation or a double-fronted house, size up again or use a pair. Half lanterns, which are flat on the back, suit narrow passages and anywhere a full-bodied fitting would be in the way of a gate or a bin store.

Finishes that survive outside

Black and bronze are the two we sell most of, and both hide weathering well. Brass and gold warm up a stone or render frontage and will develop a patina outdoors unless they are lacquered. Grey and anthracite disappear against modern render. Bodies are often cast aluminium or steel with a powder-coated finish, and the glazing is usually clear or lightly seeded glass. Aluminium is the better choice near salt air because it does not rust when the coating is chipped.

Lamps, sensors and switching

Most of these lanterns take a standard E27 or E14 lamp, so you choose the brightness and the colour temperature yourself. Warm white around 2700K suits a traditional lantern and flatters brick. A smaller number are integrated LED, where the light source is built in and the fitting is sealed. Some carry a PIR sensor that switches the light when someone approaches, or a photocell that turns it on at dusk and off at dawn. A sensor model is worth it on a path or a side door you use in the dark.

Fitting and looking after them

Outdoor wall lights are mains-wired and in the UK that work should be done by a qualified electrician, who will also make sure the cable entry is sealed and the fitting is properly earthed where it needs to be. Once up, a lantern needs very little. Wipe the glass a couple of times a year so the light gets out, check the seal and the gasket when you change a lamp, and touch up any chips in the powder coating before they can start to lift.