Pilot flame (4XAA) | red flickering light

A light that keeps burning, even when you can't be there

Some days you can't visit. This flickering red pilot flame burns day and night at the graveside, so the place where your loved one rests always looks tended and remembered.

What's included and how it works

The pilot flame comes with a red glass filter that softens and diffuses the light, and a battery holder designed for four AA batteries. Batteries are not included. Depending on which batteries you use, the flame burns for around three months continuously. When they run out, replacing them takes moments and the light begins again straight away. The unit fits a standard grave lantern and is designed for outdoor use.

Materials built for outdoor conditions

The housing is made from plastic reinforced with glassfibre. That combination keeps the unit light to handle whilst giving it the rigidity needed for year-round outdoor exposure. Glassfibre resists the warping and distortion that temperature changes cause over time, which matters considerably when something sits outside through every season. The red colour comes from the glass filter itself, not from the housing, so the tint stays consistent even after prolonged exposure to sun and rain.

Practical reassurance

A red light at a grave carries quiet meaning in many traditions: presence, remembrance, a visible sign that someone has not been forgotten. Choosing this pilot flame is a concrete, lasting gesture at the place that matters. Not a single visit, but month after month, with very little effort on your part. There is no open flame, no candle to gutter in the wind, and no need to return every few days to check on it.

Symbolism and placement

Red has long been associated with love, continuity and the refusal to let memory fade. Placed inside a grave lantern, this flickering light does something that flowers cannot: it remains after dark, visible through rain, a steady presence through the quiet hours. If the person you are remembering had a favourite lantern style, or if you are choosing a lantern for the first time, it is worth thinking about the setting as a whole. The pilot flame fits any standard grave lantern, so there is real flexibility in how you arrange the memorial space.

Key details at a glance:

• Flickering red light, visible in daylight and after dark
• Burns for approximately three months per set of batteries
• Supplied with a red glass filter and a battery holder for four AA batteries
• Batteries not included
• Fits a standard grave lantern, designed for outdoor use

If you need a grave lantern to place this pilot flame in, we have a range of styles to suit different settings and tastes. If you'd like a hand choosing one that feels right for the person you are remembering, we're happy to talk it through with you.