54A - 'Nookside', High Barnes, Sunderland

54A. 'Nookside', High Barnes, Sunderland. Thanks to Peter Barclay for the information and photographs regarding these survivors. Along this road which runs adjacent to the A183 main road are two 1950s Concrete Utilities columns fitted with swan necks and ELECO HW-852 lanterns, still running mercury lamps. These lanterns must have been popular in the Sunderland area in the past; as more examples can be seen on the previous page. The design of the brackets on the two installations varies slightly. The flat, horizontal part at the top of the bracket in the first and second pictures is not as long as the one fitted to the post in picture three. It is possible that one design might pre-date the other, though both look to be of about the same age.

Given the rate that older street lighting is now being replaced in Sunderland (contractor, Aurora, signed a £163 million contract with the City council in 2003 to replace and improve 75 percent of columns by 2008) the future of these two columns is uncertain. Both the columns seem to be in good condition; the only thing that might speed up their demise is that the example in the third picture seems to have lost its original door from its base at some time, to be replaced by a non-standard one which doesn't fit very well (hence, the metal straps to keep it in place!).