C-errrr-ash in the Night

Things sometimes can go bump in the night anywhere.  The mind races and suspects the worst until the body and the brain agree to let things wait until morning to see if anything is amiss.

Last Saturday night was different.  There was an almighty cerrr-ash! somewhere close by or even inside the tower.  We both heard it and were alarmed by it but neither of us could agree about the location or the probable nature of the noise.  It certainly was loud and very metallic in sound.  It was windy outside but nowhere near gale force.  Triple glazing on the tower's main windows tends to deaden sound from outside so maybe it was inside?

I made an executive decision as befits my place in life and decided that the tower was still standing so it could wait until morning.  Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Next morning I searched and searched but found nothing that could possibly explain such a loud crashing noise.   Then I found this on the main lounge floor:

Mystery solved.  One of our two heavy wrought iron chandeliers, suspended from one of the beams which support the tank on high had dropped to the floor below.  Luckily the thing had fallen vertically, not askew.  It had landed fair and square on its six downward projections, one below each light.  This had shared the impact among all six and even the floor was undamaged.    * Half of the light bulbs had survived too.   Luckiest of all it had missed the whopping great flat screen TV nearby.

One link in the suspending chain had failed.   The other chandelier, identically hung, was still in place, threateningly.

Mea culpa absolutely.  I had used plastic metal-look-alike black chain to hang them.  That, combined with the specially bought and strong electrical wire should have been adequate but wasn't.  There's no fool like an old fool.

Straight on to ebay and ordered 5 metres of steel chain, identical in dimensions.  Specifically manufactured for fencing and for hanging.  It arrived yesterday and both chandeliers will be re-hung  today.

* CORRECTION  All of the lightbulbs survived!  They are glassless LEDs and the plastic 'flame' tops of three of them had fallen off.   Simple push-fits so reassembled and now lit - see below