215. Beechwood Road, Easton-in-Gordano, Bristol, Somerset With thanks to Dwight for informing me of this Survivor. Installed towards the rear of this small housing estate is a Concrete Utilities' 'Avenue 2D' 15 ft (5 m) concrete column supporting an unusual crescent-shaped top-entry bracket and AC Ford AC 888 lantern. Google Street View imagery produced in the late 2000s shows that at least one other identical installation existed at the time, along with a variety of other concrete columns. By 2023, however, this installation is the last example, and I understand that an issue with the supply cable is the reason that it has not been replaced as yet.
The crescent bracket was one of Concrete Utilities' lesser-known products. Other examples existed in the Sunderland area, although their lower section, where they joined to the column, was different.
If anything, this bracket appears to be intended to be used with a different column type, as ordinarily, the bracket and column contours are designed to be continuous, rather than ending abruptly, as is seen here. One possible explanation is that the door is not meant to face directly forward on these columns, but as it has been positioned in this way, the bracket has had to be installed at an angle, in order for it to face forward too.
Lengths of tape secure the column's door - I suspect that it must have had to be opened using force, owing to the limited availability of the 'drop-latch' keys that Concrete Utilities favoured in the modern era.
Curiously, a section of the front of the column has been cut away.
There didn't appear to be any form of photocell fitted to the AC 888, though in this instance, I do not think that this would suggest time switch operation, as a pole-mounted light at the start of Beechwood Road had an extra control box fitted. This happened to be hanging open when I visited, revealing a contactor within. This was probably the group switching control point for a number of lights, including the entirety of Beechwood Road, meaning that these did not require their own switching devices at the time. As the modern lanterns are all fitted with photocells, I assume that the supply cabling was altered to make it permanently live.
The column has a slight forwards lean to it.
Despite the bracket's positioning, there are no signs of spalling at its joint with the column.
The AC 888 features a characteristic connector box between the bracket and the lantern.
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