12EAAA. Off North End Road, Wembley, London Borough of Brent With thanks to Lucas Allen for discovering these Survivors. Situated within the grounds of the Danes and Empire Court apartment buildings are a number of Thorn Gamma 3 post-top lanterns, for a single 250 - 400 Watt MBF (mercury vapour) or SON (high pressure sodium) lamp. Although most are fitted to 8 m tubular steel columns, two examples are attached to older Stanton 6 25 ft columns, which are likely to date back to the 1930s, when the buildings were constructed. I am uncertain as to whether the columns would have supported brackets originally, or not, as removing these to accommodate the Gamma 3s would have been quite challenging, so post-top lanterns may have always existed on these.

The first of the two concrete columns is seen on Danes Court, a short distance away from North End Road. The columns are painted white, rather than being left the natural unpainted finish, as is normally the case.

The columns are ornate at their tops, although the changing of the original lanterns to the Gamma 3s has led to a rather 'bodged' appearance.

The doors are painted gloss black, and oddly, I quite like this painted arrangement.

The first of the steel columns is seen a little further up the road.

Adaptors are used, allowing the 76 mm diameter lantern spigots to fit to the 89 mm diameter column shafts.

The second concrete column comes into view once the corner is turned.

Adaptors appear to have been fitted here too.

These early Stanton doors are hinged - a feature not seen on later versions.

Heading to the Empire Court side of the site, the rest of the columns were steel.

Whilst earlier versions of the smaller Gamma 5 used two clips to attach the canopy to the rest of the lantern, the Gamma 3 used three, and unlike the Gamma 5, which saw its clips replaced with two screws on later versions, the clip design was retained for the duration of the Gamma 3's production period.

The steel columns (and therefore, the lanterns too) appear to be 1970s' / 80s' products - I wonder if more concrete columns existed formerly.

A small amount of rainwater had become trapped in this example, visible here as the red line above the lantern's base casting.

This overall view shows how the older buildings are now dwarfed by taller, modern apartment buildings.

The foreground Gamma 3 still appears to be free from water ingress.

The most easterly of the installations featured an additional component on this Gamma 3...

...this comprised a Royce Thompson photocell attached to the canopy. This lantern may, then, group-control the other lights around the estate.

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