12R. Theobalds Road, Holborn, London Borough of Camden With thanks to Oliver Davison for informing me of this installation. Situated near the junction of King's Mews is a vintage traffic sign with illumination provided by an equally-vintage sign light resembling a Pearce Gowshall L68/25 (though obviously, it is a much earlier incarnation). The sign itself can be no newer than 1963, as it is to a design that pre-dates the so-called Worboys Committee report of that year, which would go on to see traffic signage across the UK undergoing radical, and long-lasting, change.

The wide-based post to which the signage is attached has alternating black and white banding along its length (as was common with signposts in the past), although this looks to have been painted over in grey at some point; at least, partially.

The heavily-faded direction signage informs motorists that Angel and Shoreditch are straight ahead, while the railway stations of King's Cross, Saint Pancras and Euston, are to the left. The sign containing the right-hand information is missing; it was probably removed when a no-right-turn traffic regulation was introduced at the crossroads in the background, preventing vehicles from turning onto Gray's Inn Road. Waterloo and London Bridge may have been on the missing sign, although this is entirely a guess.

The sign light has an aluminium body with a grooved Perspex glazing panel. It may be old enough that it uses pygmy tungsten lamps, rather than the 6 or 8 Watt fluorescent lamps that later versions employed.

The original door had long-since disappeared, with an ill-fitting replacement being used to plug the aperture. Peering through a gap at one side, a very grimy Horstmann 'K' Type time switch remained installed, though the visible cut cable alongside confirms that this setup does not work (and probably hasn't for many years). The position of the dial suggests that the time switch lost power at around 2 - 3 PM, although the date wheel was too filthy for the time of the year to be ascertained.

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