D.W. Windsor Iffley
Lantern acquired in July 2011.
This lantern had been privately owned and was installed in a garden. It then entered the Collection when the resident moved house, as they no longer had a use for it at their new address. Several Iffley lanterns were installed in the South Derbyshire village of Repton; all were installed on existing cast iron columns following a refurbishment in 2003, but were replaced with CU Phosco P852 10 Watt LED lanterns in 2019. Unsurprisingly, these lanterns also see use in the village of Iffley, in Oxfordshire.
Unlike the Iffleys installed in Repton, this example does not feature a straight-sided deep bowl; instead, a more bulbous and shallower bowl is employed.
An unusual top-entry connector is fitted in this lantern's canopy. Below this can be seen a Royce Thompson Microstar 2000 miniature photocell.
The lantern incorporates the familiar 'Diamond Optic' reflector. A common mistake when installing these lanterns is that they are positioned 'backwards', in respect of the carriageway's position. The correct optical setting is for the lampholder to be positioned at the front of the lantern.
Two clips secure the bowl, which, when released, allow the bowl to hinge down for maintenance. The bowl can be removed entirely, if required.
Close-up of the lantern's internal label.
The lamp control gear is all fitted to a removable central section of the lantern. When in use, the gear was wired out as a Philips SL compact fluorescent lamp was instead fitted. Instructions on how to change the lamp are included, even though there is no reason as to why this method would be used, as the reflector is open. The capacitor is dated to week 48 of 2000 (27th November - 3rd December).
The various numbers on the lower part of the central section relate to different angles - the reflector can be adjusted in order for the lantern to produce different beam distributions, as required. Interestingly, despite the lantern being designed for running a 50 Watt SON lamp, the ignitor is more suited to starting SON lamps with a minimum wattage of 100 Watt, though it can also operate metal halide lamps with a minimum wattage of 35 Watt - SON lamps requiring a lower starting voltage in comparison to their metal halide counterparts.
The lantern's main connector block is located within the inside of the canopy. Nearby, the other side of the photocell is visible.
Owing to the nonstandard top-entry connector, the lantern remained out of use for many years after acquisition. Only in 2019 did work commence on returning it to service. The first task was to remove the large locknut that held the top-entry connector in place. This proved more of a challenge than I was expecting, with the thin aluminium canopy becoming dented in the process. In the end, I decided to let the professionals at TAS Engineering, of Burton-upon-Trent, have a go. They were able to remove the jammed locknut, as well as to knock out the dents made during my own attempt. The lantern couldn't be fitted to a bracket yet, however, as the circular hole in the canopy was the same width as the 3⁄4 ″ BSP thread (1 inch, or 25 mm) of the bracket. Thus, the hole had to be widened slightly, and a 29 mm (1·14 inch) hole was drilled. The lantern fitted to an AC Ford AC 184 wall bracket without issue after that; a couple of 3⁄4 ″ BSP washers and locknuts were employed to secure the two together.
The double locknut arrangement ensures a very secure fixing to the lantern.
The biggest challenge was ensuring that the bowl clips were in exact perpendicular alignment to the bracket.
By this time, the Microstar photocell had been removed and replaced with a 20 mm sealing grommet.
With the lantern optic and bowl re-fitted, the bracket was attached to the wall, in a space between the GEC Z5590 and Revo Prefect - two lanterns that were something of the forerunner to the Iffley. The now-disused old top-entry adaptor can be seen at the back of the bracket.
Naturally, I ensured that the optic was positioned the correct way around!
Within a few minutes of being powered up, the new 50 Watt lamp emitted the familiar SON colour.
The Diamond Optic reflector appeared to enhance the lamp brightness when the lantern was viewed at an angle from the front.
The reflection changed again when the lantern was viewed from the front.
Lamp warm-up video:
Testing with my energy monitoring device revealed the following results.
| Test Voltage (V) | Current being drawn at full power (A) | Measured wattage (W) | Apparent Power (VA) | Frequency (Hz) | Power Factor | True Power (W) | Difference to rated wattage | Percentage Difference |
| 249.3 | 0.48 | 49 | 120 | 49.8 | 0.4 | 47.87 | -2.13 | -4.27% |
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