194HA. Various Streets off Love Lane, Vauxhall, Liverpool With thanks to Leo Conway for discovering these Survivors. Installed (particularly) on the narrow parallel streets to the west of Love Lane are a number of rather elderly installations that remain in service, or at least, remain extant, even if alternative lighting has replaced them.
We start on Lanyork Road, just off Pall Mall. Several 25 ft (8 m) Concrete Utilities' "Highway-X" columns with curved metal brackets support GEC Z9545 cut-off lanterns, for 90 Watt SOX (low pressure sodium) lamps.
The protective cap that covers where the bracket bolts to the column is damaged on this example.
Cut-off lanterns may have been specified here because of the road's proximity to the tracks of (what is now) the Merseyrail network. Being close to Liverpool's docks, railway lines for goods trains were far more prominent in the past, with Lanyork Road being constructed on land that was occupied by the railway formerly.
The rear clip of the facing lantern was insecure, causing the rear corner of the slim bowl to sag downwards slightly.
Two further columns were positioned at the end of the cul-de-sac.
The surrounding tree branches have pummelled the Z9545's boxy aluminium body. The bowl is also missing completely.
The lamp too is missing; only its cap remains secured into the porcelain bayonet holder.
Two ELECO GR 100s are attached to 8 m tubular steel columns on Chisenhale Street.
These are slightly later examples of the GR 100, as the bowl clips are attached directly to the bowl itself. Earlier versions saw the clips fixed to an aluminium bowl support ring instead, which is omitted from these versions.
The background example shows evidence of water ingress within its bowl.
Love Lane itself is home to some tubular steel poles with overhead services, and whilst these have the appearance of traction poles, I do not think that the former tram system ever ran along this road.
Some rather precarious-looking overhead wiring terminates at each pole, in the fuse boxes positioned towards the tops of each one. I assume that the ASD Highway Diamond LED lanterns now fitted are not considered a long-term lighting solution - Love Lane is due to undergo considerable rejuvenation within the next few years, as of March 2025, and I can't imagine these life-expired poles being included in any redevelopment plans.
This example is positioned alongside the disused railway viaduct that used to support the lines into the now-closed Liverpool Exchange station.
The bracket had twisted, causing the lantern to face towards the redundant viaduct. This has now been re-rotated to a more useful position as a temporary measure, with blue insulation tape being used to try to prevent the aged metalwork from turning again.
A Philips MA 90 was installed centrally to the remaining railway bridge on Upper William Street.
The bracket has a slight downward bend in it; this may have been done on purpose to allow the MA to provide some illumination under the bridge.
Two wall-mounted GR 100s become visible immediately after the bridge.
The foreground example is fitted with the revised bowl design that was used on the later Davis version of the GR 100.
The steel construction of the wall bracket's integral box for housing the fuse and lamp control gear is in very poor condition, owing to corrosion.
The second example still retains its original tapered bowl. Although not completely obvious in this picture, the door is missing from this wall bracket too, although the structure is in slightly better condition.
Another GR 100 was to be found on the railway bridge arch at the top of Glegg Street.
The bowl here has been lost through time, leading to the lamp appearing especially grubby.
The wall brackets are still in place on Sherwood Street, but don't support lanterns any longer.
This foreground example retains a maintenance number and supply cabling, despite having become abandoned.
New 8 m columns supporting Philips Luma LED lanterns are installed opposite the redundant brackets.
A similar story is true for Maddrell Street, which is the next road along from Sherwood Street.
Here, the bracket outreach has also been removed, leaving just the box attached to the wall.
Another box near the bridge features a short stump of its former bracket.
The back plate of a GEC Z5760 bulkhead survives beneath the bridge, alongside its replacement.
The Z5760 has been stripped of everything but the plate.
Another bowlless GR 100 attached to a steel column was seen on Sprainger Street.
This appears to be the Davis version, owing to its GRP canopy. The lamp has blackened electrodes, and the metallic cap is dull and corroded.
Two further columns (also tubular steel) running Z9545s straddled the bridge on this road; one is pictured below.
Curiously, both this lantern, and the one pictured first on this page, have pellet holes in their bowls at roughly the same position.
BACK TO SURVIVORS IN MERSEYSIDE
CLICK HERE TO MAKE A MONETARY DONATION
© 2002 - English Street Lights Online