208C. Cambridge City Centre The Richardson Candles of Cambridge are rather legendary in street lighting enthusiast circles, having been produced by Revo in 1957 as bespoke products for the City, under the instruction and design of Sir Albert Richardson, after whom, the installations are named. The installations, as installed, comprised a cylindrical lantern, fitted with three or four 5 ft (1500 mm) 80 Watt linear fluorescent (MCF) lamps, with wall and column-mounted examples produced, depending on the width of the road at that particular point - the fluorescent lamp being considered "new" technology in the post-war period. Where the lanterns were fitted to columns, fluted cast iron posts, again made by Revo, were installed. 120 candles existed as part of the original scheme; unfortunately, their numbers decreased dramatically in the 1970s/80s, when their optical capabilities and energy use began to be called into question, and modern, more efficient lanterns began to replace them. Only one major thoroughfare retains examples in the modern era; thankfully, these were Grade II listed in 2011, and the opportunity was taken to refurbish the lanterns at the time - thus, I am uncertain as to what the current light source employed in these historical lanterns is. Fellow collector Simon Cornwell provides a far more thorough history of the Candles than is given on this page; it can be read here. A few examples of the Richardson Candles on all of their remaining streets are pictured below; these were taken in July 2024.
The top end of St John's Street marks the present-day start of the candle route.
The column doors feature twin locks using the standard Revo two-pin bolt.
The foreground installation is one of the modern units, provided by D.W. Windsor, to replace or supplement the Candles, while a wall-mounted Candle remains in the background.
Already, a cable tie has had to be wrapped around the new lantern to hold it together.
By comparison, the Richardson Candle is as intact as it was when made nearly 70 years earlier!
The road narrows as it becomes Trinity Street, requiring all of these Candles to be wall-mounted.
A small cast iron enclosure, housing the supply cut-out, is positioned near to each wall-mounted unit (often, alongside, where space and cabling allows).
This particular box was hanging open when pictured, revealing some rather messy internal wiring. A miniature photocell is positioned at the top of the box, to control the lantern's operation. Originally, time switches were fitted in the boxes to do the same thing.
This example is a little further down, on the opposite side of the road.
King's Parade, opposite the famous College, uses a combination of wall-mounted Candles and column-mounted Windsor lanterns.
This creates an odd blend of old and new.
Bene't Street is also narrow, and uses several wall-mounted examples.
The adjoining Wheeler Street features a combination of a Candle and a 1980s' CU Phosco P290 sphere lantern - the latter being proposed as a replacement for all of the Candles at one point during that decade.
Trumpington Street is wider, allowing most of the lighting positions to be column-mounted once again.
Some wall-mounted examples remain, however. Incidentally, the wall-mounted types differ from those attached to columns in that these always ran three fluorescent lamps.
This example on the corner of Silver Street appeared to be day burning.
I hope sincerely that this is not how the lanterns now appear after nightfall, and that this dull, non-descript glow is merely a fault with the internal lighting system - if this is how the lanterns now look, I am not a fan!
Another example further down Trumpington Street.
These two column-mounted examples are near the end of the Richardson Candle-lit area, and are to be found outside the Hotel du Vin.
One final view of one of these bespoke lanterns.
BACK TO SURVIVORS IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE
CLICK HERE TO MAKE A MONETARY DONATION
© 2002 - English Street Lights Online