12I. Morden Hall Park, Merton, London. Attached to the walls of a short clock tower within the Hall's former stable block are two 1930s' ESLA Bi-Multi directional lanterns - a two-way and a three-way type. The wall brackets employed to support the two lanterns appear to be modern, and as the lanterns do not match, in all likelihood, they would have been fitted second-hand here after being removed from streets within the Borough. Although the Hall and its parkland are owned by the National Trust, there is no admission charge to access the latter.
Old meets new as a couple of metal halide directional floodlights supplement the ESLA lanterns situated below them.
The two-way lantern is in better overall condition out of the two - although a few mirror facets are cracked, and a number have lost silvering around their ages, none are missing outright.
Unlike the more unusual type seen on Kingswood Road, this two-way example is the more common 'butterfly' type, with large semi-circular wings helping to direct the beam along a straight road.
Although the floodlights are present, there is nothing to suggest that the ESLAs are no longer in use.
The two lanterns are fitted with traditional GLS-shaped lamps that incorporate internal halogen capsules.
The three-way example would have been designed for installing opposite a conventional T-junction, with a portion of the luminous flux being cast forwards, as well as to the sides.
Sadly, the decomposition of the silvering to the mirrored glass is more extensive on this lantern. A small triangular piece of glass on the foreground directional 'wing' is missing too.
Given that the lantern would have been over 80 years old at the time of photographing in July 2020, it is still in reasonable condition.
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