The aluminium canopies of the older Beta 5s were painted a light grey colour; this tended to wear off over time whilst installed on the street, revealing the canopy's natural aluminium finish instead. The painted canopy idea was abandoned with the commencement of the new style of Beta 5 entering production (presumably, on cost-saving grounds) - the aluminium being of a sufficiently-high grade that would ensure high corrosion resistance without the need for additional protection being applied. Notice that this lantern is undrilled for a NEMA socket, although the position where it would be fitted is obvious. The lantern is designed for attaching to a ¾" BSP male thread.
The lantern's bowl is wrapped in a polythene bag - a sacrificial anti-scratch measure for the bowl prior to the lantern's installation.
Opening the bowl reveals the three-quarter length gear tray that is common to this version of the lantern. This too dates from the Amber Minor days, with the indentations that are visible on parts of the gear tray being a means of raising the original leak transformer ballast (which took up most of the gear tray on its own) - a possible anti-corrosion measure that ensured the ballast wasn't in contact with any pools of water that gathered on the gear tray. My 1970 Beta 5 contains the much larger gear.
A contemporary Thorn label is present in the top-right corner of the gear tray.
A single screw holds the gear tray in place under normal circumstances. With this released, the tray hinges down, revealing the control gear components that run the lamp.
