166B. Off High Holborn Road, Codnor Gate Industrial Estate, Ripley Situated within the yard for one of the industrial units on this estate are two 1980s' 8 m Abacus base-hinged tubular steel columns supporting Thorn Alpha 3 lanterns for 250 - 400 Watt MBF (mercury vapour), SON (high pressure sodium) or MBI (metal halide) lamps. The Alpha 3s are of the type with the lamp control gear being housed in the column bases, rather than in the lanterns themselves. A third Abacus column nearby (but today within the boundary of a separate business) is likely to have carried an Alpha 3 in the past too, but now supports a floodlight instead.

The choice of base-hinged columns here is surprising, considering that there would be no issues in accessing this area using a maintenance vehicle.

Both lanterns show signs of water ingress, and on the foreground lantern, a loose gasket, visible within the lantern, is likely to be the cause of this ingress.

An elliptical lamp is (just) visible within the second lantern.

The two installations are pictured again, but from High Holborn Road itself this time.

The lamp is more visible from this angle.

The most obvious differences between the Thorn Alpha 3s and the earlier Atlas types are the reduction of four bowl clips to two, and a redesigned bowl that includes moulded refractor prisms.

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