194D. Port Causeway, Bromborough, Birkenhead, Merseyside With thanks to Dwight for informing me of these Survivors. Still extant on this road in 2024 are a number of Stanton 6B 25 ft (8 m) concrete columns dating from the early-mid 1950s, with two of these supporting two older 90 Watt SOX (low pressure sodium) lanterns - one being a GEC Z9450, which may be original to when the column was installed.
The Z9450 is located at the end of a section of spur road that was the original Port Causeway road - this becoming an access to existing properties only when the road was realigned.
The lantern's Perspex bowl has become translucent through age and exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun.
Aside from a small section of concrete that is missing near the lantern, and another near the column joint, the B-type bracket is in good condition.
The bracket's rear fin section is not purely for decoration - it provides a counterweight to the rest of the bracket.
This is an earlier version of the 6B column, as evidenced by its more substantial base section.
The start of the new section of road is marked with a newer 6B (notice the narrower base - the slight reduction in size of lamp control gear components throughout the 1950s permitting this change) topped with a classic Thorn Alpha 1 lantern.
Several cracks are present on this installation's bracket, with another passing down the column for a short distance.
The positioning of the grub screws in the Alpha 1's rear casting suggests that it is a later example. A SELC / Westire photocell is employed to switch the lantern on and off as required.
Sadly, the lantern's acrylic "Opticell" unit is damaged, which has led to dirt and moisture entering the usually-sealed lamp area.
A little further up Port Causeway is another wider-based 6B variant that has lost its lantern.
Google Street View evidence indicates that the lantern (a Philips MA 90 with separate lamp control gear) was removed at some point after November 2015 but before April 2021 - the state of the bracket being a probable reason for this removal.
BACK TO SURVIVORS IN MERSEYSIDE
CLICK HERE TO MAKE A MONETARY DONATION
© 2002 - English Street Lights Online