170H. Naseby Close, Market Harborough, Leicestershire Installed on a footpath between Naseby Close and Bath Street is a 15 ft (5 m) 'Estate Minor X' concrete column, made by Concrete Utilities, and supporting a GEC Z9539 55 Watt SOX (low pressure sodium) lantern by means of an 'Arc 3' top-entry bracket. At the time of photographing in early May 2024, the installation was in its final days of existence - it was due to be replaced with a modern base-hinged tubular steel column less than a week later, owing to the difficulty in maintaining the lantern - the footpath was too narrow to accommodate a maintenance vehicle, meaning that any repairs had to be conducted using a ladder - a less than ideal arrangement.

Owing to the growth of the surrounding conifer hedge, I had to take this picture on Bath Street itself.

Zooming in reveals considerable accumulation of bird droppings to the middle and rear of the lantern's canopy. The polycarbonate bowl features a noticeable burn mark, which could be the result of the lantern being converted to accommodate a high pressure sodium (SON) lamp as a measure to prolong the amount of time between repair visits.

Viewing the lantern from beneath also reveals that the bowl is not fitted quite correctly, resulting in dirt gathering within it.

The original Concrete Utilties' "drop-latch" door had been replaced with a modern sheet steel one featuring a conventional tri-bolt lock instead. Notice that the surrounding foliage is cleared - this was done in preparation for the column's replacement.

The misaligned bowl becomes more apparent when seen from directly below.

< Previous | Next >

BACK TO SURVIVORS IN LEICESTERSHIRE

BACK TO SURVIVORS

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A MONETARY DONATION