Philips 'Iridium' SGS 253

Lantern acquired in November 2004.

This lantern was part of a new lighting scheme in 2002, designed to make the roads of a rough estate safer. Unfortunately, many of the new lanterns suffered badly themselves at the hands of vandals due to fairly low column heights, and so higher columns with floodlights have been used to replace them. This lantern was one of the unlucky ones, and when removed, had a smashed bowl; however, a new one was fitted before I received it.

You can tell that this lantern has had only a short life outside as the canopy is still smooth and shiny. The SS3DR cell is probably not the original one as I believe the Iridiums all had Oasis 2000s fitted when new - but the one on this lantern could have mysteriously 'disappeared'!

The lanterns on the estate all had curved glass bowls - I'm surprised that this option was chosen considering the high vandalism in the area. A good thing about the Iridium is that, although it is IP66 rated (gear and optics), the bowl can be changed by dismantling the optical unit. When installed, the lantern was fitted post-top, but it could easily be made side-entry by the hinged plate in the spigot entry.

The canopy is hinged, and once it is opened far enough, a spring slides into place to stop it from falling while work is being carried out. Notice the thick rubber gasket surrounding the majority of the lantern - it blocks any dirt from getting in, and so this is one of the cleanest 'used' lanterns I've come across. The gear is located under the black cover - the label on the cover gives a manufacturing date code of L1, or November 2001, for the lantern. The blue handle in the centre of the lantern locks the lampholder cradle in position, to ensure that the optic area remains sealed. Lifting the handle releases the cradle, enabling it to be withdrawn from the optic, and allowing lamp replacement.

The cover opens after two clips are pushed in. It doesn't actually do anything to the lantern apart from make it look more tidy internally, and of course, has the safety aspect in that it shields someone working on the lantern while it is live from possible shock caused by direct (or indirect) contact with equipment.

The lantern was mounted to an AC Ford AC872 wall bracket on Saturday, 13th August 2005.

It was then wired up and switched on.

The lamp was very bright at full power - my camera wasn't quite sure of how to cope with it!

Lantern warm-up video:

Davis GR100 | Thorn Alpha 4

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A MONETARY DONATION