231. Holmer Road, Hereford On a roadway leading into a BT (British Telecom) / Openreach Telephone Engineering Centre are a number of 1960s' 15 ft (5 m) tubular steel columns supporting post-top lanterns from the Falks 'Beaufort' range; these being the type with full-length Perspex bowls. The lanterns have been adapted to accommodate photocell controls, and as one of these was faulty, causing the lantern to operate during the day, the faint green hue of a mercury vapour (MBF) lamp was visible, confirming the type employed. As a bonus, a large car parking area that formed part of the site was lit with "Adjustaflood" shovel floodlights; similar in design to the Benjamin Duoflux. On the opposite side of Holmer Road, and unconnected with these lights or business, is a single 25 ft (8 m) Abacus column supporting a Mk 1 Atlas Alpha 3 lantern - this road keeps on giving!

The first of the columns is installed just beyond the entrance gates.

The cone of the 1980s' Royce Thompson P5 photocell is just visible to the rear of the canopy. The Beauforts were available with canopies having diameters of 20, 25 and 34 inches (508, 635 and 863·6 mm respectively), with these probably being the former type.

Oddly, the Adjustafloods are all attached to wooden poles (possibly, re-purposed telephone poles, given the owners of the site), rather than actual columns. This one is seen with the dayburning Beaufort visible alongside.

Mercury lamps (of a greater wattage than those employed in the Beauforts) are also used in the floodlights.

This example is pictured through the security fence; hence, the tell-tale vertical bars at either side of the picture.

The same fitting is pictured from another angle, with a circular aluminium reflector visible behind the lamp. Given the different positioning of the lamp in this example, compared to the type seen above, I would say that this one is positioned correctly, whereas the other lampholder has slipped over time.

This example is on the other side of the car park.

The outer sides of the enamelled reflectors have heavy lichen growth.

The Alpha 3's column is situated at the end of an exit road for an adjacent petrol filling station, although it is positioned in front of some industrial units, and was probably installed for the benefit of them originally.

Years of birds using the lantern as a makeshift toilet have turned the lantern metalwork light brown. Notice that bolts are used to secure the lantern to the bracket, rather than the usual grub screws. This is likely to be an alteration made during installation - perhaps, the grub screws supplied were too short to grip the bracket securely.

Despite the revolting state of the metalwork, the bowl appears to have escaped becoming the same thanks to the lip around the canopy protecting it.

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