12RC. Richmond Grove, Canonbury, London Borough of Islington With thanks to 'HCarter' for discovering these Survivors. Towards the end of this short cul-de-sac is an abandoned 15 ft (5 m) Concrete Utilities' Estate Minor concrete column fitted with a top-entry Byway bracket and GEC Z9481 lantern, which still retains a 35 Watt SOX (low pressure sodium) lamp, despite the installation having been superseded in (I would guess) the 1990s by a 3 m conical steel column with wide-brimmed Thorn Gamma 6 post-top lantern installed alongside. Appropriately, the conical column is also a CU product. Several more conical columns are installed along here, with the WRTL 2015 post-top serving as a replacement for one or two Gamma 6s.

The concrete column is likely to represent how the rest of the road was lit prior to the installation of the steel columns. The new columns are spaced quite closely together (possibly, because of their short mounting heights), meaning that their positions are likely to differ from where the other concrete columns would have been installed.

Despite the approximate 30 years of disuse, the Z9481 is fully intact and even relatively clean internally.

Usually, when concrete columns are replaced, their successors are taller, even if they are only 5 m in height too, owing to the imperial dimensions employed with the older columns being shorter than true 5 m.

The surviving SOX lamp is a Philips product.

The top diameter of the conical column is slightly wider than the required 76 mm for the Gamma 6 is, requiring an adaptor to be positioned between the two.

The Gamma 6's wide canopy positions it quite close to the concrete column shaft.

Such is the amount of time that the Gamma 6 has been installed here that its base casting has suffered some slight paint loss.

There is no lamp control gear housed within the Z9481; it may remain within the base of the column - the door is still in place, preventing confirmation of these arrangements.

A short footpath link leads to the other end of Richmond Grove. This is lit with two Gamma 6s, a 2015 and two sphere lanterns; all of which are attached to 4 m British Steel columns.

When pictured in January 2025, all of these lanterns were dayburning, and appeared to be running some sort of LED retro-fit lamp, judging by their cool white colour temperatures. The first Gamma 6 had a rather buckled canopy.

Formerly, the Gammas looked to have run mercury vapour (MBF) lamps, while the 2015s ran high pressure sodium (SON) lamps.

Looking back up the road, and more Gammas are to be seen.

The paint finish was especially worn on this column.

The Gamma 6s all feature translucent reeded bowls.

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