Wall Lights

[moore_ag]

Hello, I have a 1930's fireplace in my terraced house. On the side of the mantle is a small switch to power 2 wall lights on top. These lights have a wooden sqaure base attached to the chimney breast.

The lights have a round plate screwed to the wooden base, they have a small "pipe" the comes out and bends up to give you the bayonet fitting for the actual light. The actual light wire comes through the pipe...

I want to replace these lights but dont know how to remove them. I can unscrew the round base from the wood and see the wires going through the pipe... the bayonet end of the fitting unscrews also (leaving the actual bayonet in place at the end of the pipe.

How does one remove these lights, other than chopping the wires and leaving no slack to play with for the new fittings?

Thanks.

[woodchopper]

Try sliding the wooden base up the wall as if it was hanging on a screw.

If the wiring supplying the fitting is fairly recent the connection for the lights will be made behind the base and I would not worry about the wires being too short as I would have a guess the new ones will attach to the ends quite easily.
If they do end up too short get a spark to replace the wiring or else solder a new wire to the ends and use some heat shrink sleeving to insulate them.

[Hairyplums]

Spot on Woodchopper, turn off the breaker and either as chopper suggests solder or inline crimp the cables to make them fit, but make sure there are 3 cables ie live, neutral and the most important earth....