170E. Swithland Lane, Rothley, Leicestershire With thanks to Dwight for informing me of these Survivors. A number of vintage installations exist along this road, many of which still supported low pressure sodium (SOX) lanterns when photographed in June 2024. These comprised a mixture of concrete and cast iron columns of varying types and ages. The heritage Great Central Railway runs parallel to a portion of Swithland Lane, and on the day of photographing, trains were running. The combination of the bright summer sunlight, blue skies, elderly street lighting units and the occasional steam whistle made for an incredibly nostalgic experience - had I have had a bottle of Ginger Beer, and a selection of cucumber sandwiches, on me, I might well have partaken in an impromptu picnic!

This fluted cast iron column is the first of the old columns to be seen when travelling from Westfield Lane. The larger cast iron column in the background is likely to be an old sewer gas vent pipe.

The swan neck bracket supports a side-entry Thorn Beta 5 lantern for 35 Watt SOX lamps - a replacement for the bracket's original top-entry lantern.

The swan neck ends in a cast iron fuse box, made by Revo of Tipton.

Another cast iron column followed. Lettering cast into the other side of the column suggested that it had been made locally, at a foundry in Leicester itself.

The swan neck here was unusual in that it had quite a sharp curve between the decorative central finial and the lantern. This too featured a Beta 5; albeit, a top-entry one.

After passing another cast iron column, this Stanton 1806 concrete column supporting an ELECO GR 501 was to be seen.

The positioning of the NEMA photocell socket, at the front of the lantern, suggests that this may be a later addition, from when the lantern was converted from time switch to photocell control.

Certainly, this appears to be an older GR 501, going on the presence of an aluminium ring to support the bowl, along with the bowl's refractor panels having been glued to the inside of the bowl, rather than being part of the same moulding.

Around the corner, another cast iron column remained in use.

This too supported a swan neck bracket with an unusual curve, though in the case of this example, the bracket pipe looks to have been reshaped manually.

The same dark green paint seen on all of the cast columns was applied here - as this is not a standard colour for Leicestershire, it must have been applied 'unofficially' - possibly, by the local Parish Council.

This Beta 5 seems (almost) too large for the swan neck from this angle. The design of the bracket's finial suggests that it could be an AC Ford product.

Another notable installation was this Stanton 10 concrete, with a rare 'long' outreach F-type bracket. This will have been a deliberate choice, given the column's setback, road width, and abundance of mature trees along the route.

A pool of rainwater had gathered in this Beta 5's bowl, immersing a portion of the lamp in the process.

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