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Lexicon Fanlight _____________________________________________________ A window, usually over a door, often semi-circular. The term comes from radiating glazing bars resembling a fan. See also windows. The study of fan-lights in the Cape Colony provides many clues to the origin of the design of the houses in which they are built. Those showing Dutch influence frequently had a lantern incorporated in the fan-light as an integral part of the design. This lantern lit not only the hall of the house but also the street outside, thus serving as a substitute for street lamps. With the coming of the British to South Africa the lantern was omitted and fan-light designs showed very markedly the influence of the Adam school. Robert Adam in his designs had embellished the fan-light with festoons of swags (ornamental wreaths) and delicate ornament in the classical tradition. Such famous designers as Anton Anreith and Louis Thibault were responsible for some of the most beautiful fan-lights in houses built in Cape Town and its neighbourhood during the first British occupation and for some years afterwards. Fan-lights continued to be graceful and elegant until far into the 19th century. (Ronald Lewcock in Potgieter, DJ (Editor-in-chief). 1971. pg 426) Books linked to this entry Potgieter, DJ (Editor-in-chief). 1971. Standard Encyclopaedia of South Africa [SESA] Volume 4 Dev-For. Cape Town: Nasou pp 426, 427 ill