217AA. Off Reading Road, Old Warren, Aldermaston, West Berkshire With thanks to SotonSteve for discovering these Survivors. Situated within the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) site are a number of vintage 25 ft (8 m) concrete columns and lanterns that may date back to 1950, when the AWE began occupation of this site, which had, formerly, been the location for RAF Aldermaston since 1941. Two especially noteworthy installations are visible from Reading Road, near its junction with Soke Road - these comprise Concrete Utilities' Avenue 3DN columns with Arc 2 top-entry brackets supporting ELECO 'Goldenray Mk III' lanterns for 140 Watt SO/H / SOI/H (low pressure sodium) lamps originally, and 90 Watt SOX lamps in more recent times. Whilst the original version of this lantern appeared in 1949, these could be slightly later examples.

Whilst, understandably, photography within the site is prohibited, photography taken on public land remains acceptable throughout the UK. Nevertheless, pointing cameras into such restricted areas should be done carefully to avoid attracting unwanted attention from on-site security - these pictures were taken quickly, and I didn't linger about. Only one of the two columns supporting an ELECO lantern is pictured here, although the other one looked to be in much the same condition as the first was. These lights may have become disused, as the majority of the perimeter fence is now lit with Urbis ZX3s attached to 8 m base-hinged Abacus columns.

A large cylindrical object is positioned between the bracket and the lantern itself. A suggestion for the purpose of this device is that it contains winch gear, allowing the lantern to be lowered for maintenance at ground level (much the same reason that the base-hinged columns are installed). Although the Perspex bowl has become translucent through age, the capacitor is visible on the inside of the canopy. As the only other geared example of this lantern type that I have found featured a much deeper canopy, this might be a late 1950s' / early 1960s' version, when a slight reduction in component size (specifically, the hefty lamp leak transformer ballast) permitted the use of a shallower canopy.

This column at the junction of an access gate on Red Lane is a later (1960s') 3DNN column and side-entry 'Highway' side-entry bracket supporting a Revo C13723/S lantern. I noticed many more examples of these lanterns within the complex (though many were the top-entry version instead), including some on concrete columns that had been sleeved - in these cases, the original lanterns must have been re-used, rather than new lanterns being fitted after the brackets were changed.

The lantern is in good, complete condition, although the rear bowl clip is not attached correctly. Two floodlights positioned further down the column shaft suggest that the lantern isn't used any longer.

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