Model thunder church, John Cuthbertson, Amsterdam, 1782
Inv V08999

In demonstrations of the phenomenon of electricity the scientist turned the electrostatic generator until the sparks flew. In order to demonstrate the effect of a thunderbolt he used model thunder houses and churches. The scientist caused a discharge to strike the church tower. This was followed by an explosion and a bang like thunder and a fiercely blazing fire. Finally the church collapsed completely. However, the church was spared such a fate if a lightning conductor was first installed.
The experiment with the thunder church was a convincing proof of the usefulness of lightning conductors, which consequently became popular around this time.