58A. DSF Refractories & Minerals Ltd, Friden, Newhaven, Buxton Situated at the factory entrance is a Stanton 6 concrete column supporting an unknown top-entry lantern; possibly, a GEC design (it bears a close resemblance to the type seen on page 115C). The column is rather curious, as the base is the standard design of the 6B, but much of its shaft and bracket comprises a bare steel pipe, and I don't think that this is the older inner pipe from the column, with the surrounding concrete having been removed.
The column is relatively short, which creates an odd sense of proportion, as its base (and the lantern itself) is designed for main road usage.
Sadly, the heavy glass prismatic refractor bowl is broken - this must have occurred at some point after 2011, as the bowl appears intact on Google Street View imagery dating from then.
From a slightly different (and less damaged) angle, the bowl appears to be the GEC 'Difractor' type, as used on my Z8128B Clearmain lantern.
Although designed to run a single 250 - 400 Watt MA/V medium-pressure mercury vapour lamp, a tubular metal halide lamp is employed now. It was not as green in reality as it appears here, but still bore a strong resemblance to how a MA/V lamp would have looked.
Some strengthening webbing is welded to the underside of the bracket section.
A hairline crack exists towards the top of the column's base.
Returning in 2022, in better weather, and with a better camera, I was pleased to see that the installation was little changed - except that the lantern was not dayburning this time.
A rather substantial toggle secures the bowl and its reflector plate in normal circumstances.
With the lamp extinguished, I was surprised to see that, in fact, it was an MB/U, and not a tubular metal halide, as I had assumed that it was originally. The construction of the arc tube support around the end dimple suggests a Thorn product, which is remarkable, considering that Thorn ceased to produce lamps in the early 1990s, though judging by the condition of the arc tube, this is not unbelievable.
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