134F. Canterbury, Kent This city needs no introduction regarding its significant history - I refer, of course, to it being the home of the Electric Street Lighting Apparatus (ESLA) company, whose distinctive Bi-Multi lanterns of the 1930s are hallowed in the Street Lighting Collector community to this day. Such was the popularity of ESLA products within the company's home city that examples remain extant in the area to this day, with even the famous Cathedral featuring examples of the local company's products.
Mercery Lane, located opposite the entrance to the Cathedral, is home to this curious suspended lantern.
What appears to be a much older lantern has been adapted to accommodate a two-way ESLA. As can be seen, further (later) modification has taken place to allow the lantern to run an 18 Watt SOX (low pressure sodium) lamp, instead of the GLS (tungsten filament) lamp that it is likely to have run earlier in its existence. The number '239' is likely to refer to a past maintenance numbering system.
The positioning and length of the SOX lamp makes it somewhat unsuitable to be effective with the ESLA's facetted design, which is optimised for the more pin-point source of the tungsten filament lamp. Nevertheless, this adds to the unusualness of the installation.
Many wide-beam two-way ESLA lanterns are employed in the Cathedral's cloister areas; most were lit when I visited.
Apart from the abundance of cobwebs, as these lanterns are sheltered away from different types of weather, all are in immaculate condition.
Although also designed for GLS lamps, modern LED equivalents are now employed.
The sign on the wall to the right of this example requests that "persons will not deface the walls by cutting or writing thereon", by order of the Dean and Chapter - I can confirm that I did not feel the urge to carry out either of these suggested acts!
The ESLAs in this area were extinguished.
Both this lantern and its bracket were adorned in anti-bird spikes; the only example to carry such modifications.
This example, and one opposite, were the last to be installed within the sheltered area.
A cement line in the wall above the bracket indicates the location of the supply cable.
The lantern opposite was to exactly the same design.
As well as this particular ESLA mirror configuration being especially rare, the fact that all of the original mirrored facets are undamaged and intact is truly remarkable (even if some have lost their mirroring capabilities).
This example illuminated a small courtyard area.
Beneath this lantern, a cast iron fuse box, described as an 'ESLA Harrison' type (after the Company's founder, Haydn Harrison) is attached to the wall by means of a square plate. The historical number 11A tag is visible on the incoming supply cable. As there is no cable emerging from the fuse box, this example may not be in operation any longer.
The front cover of the fuse box shows signs of damage.
An even older lighting wall bracket exists to the left of this installation.
This rather curious ESLA-like lantern was attached to a wall bracket near the Archdeanery building.
Again, an older lantern appears to have been modified to accommodate a newer lantern.
This lantern uses much larger mirrored facets than ESLAs normally use, although it is a smaller overall lantern.
These post-top lanterns are seen around the Cathedral site - I believe that they too are ESLA products; possibly, the ornamental '123' type, as opposed to the far more common mirrored Bi-Multi design.
This fuse box cover also carries ESLA branding, so the continued link is likely.
Another example, with the Cathedral building providing the backdrop.
A long ladder bar emerges from the column.
Two newer Stewart & Lloyd tubular steel columns supported lanterns made to resemble the 123 type.
These run elliptical discharge lamps of some repute.
A number of 'Biggleston' columns survive around the City's main shopping streets. Herbert Biggleston, the owner of a blacksmith and foundry business in the City, was a friend of Haydn Harrison, and he was approached by the latter when there was a need to produce products for the then-new Electric Street Lighting Apparatus company.
Modern teardrop lanterns running an LED source now take the place of the original ESLA products.
The column bases are elaborate, with only narrow base compartments.
This is another variant of the Biggleston column.
This example features a wider, tapered base.
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