2F. Off Murrayfield Avenue, Greylees, Sleaford, Lincolnshire Situated on a lane heading towards Grantham Road are a small number of 15 ft (5 m) Estate Minor concrete columns and Arc 3 brackets, produced by Concrete Utilities. The lanterns fitted are produced by Phosware, the lighting division of Concrete Utilities, and the forerunners of the CU Phosco lighting company. These are the SO60 (later known as the P122), and are named after the 60 Watt SO/H lamps that these lanterns could accommodate - the forerunner to the 35 Watt SOX lamp. These installations date from when the land was occupied by the Rauceby Hospital, which closed in 1997, although I remember seeing the lane lit with many more of these fittings after nightfall in the early-mid 2000s. I suspect that the lanterns are now redundant, however, though I am surprised that the remaining columns are still extant at all, with the majority of the hospital site having been redeveloped for housing. This is similar to the Former Pastures Hospital site in Mickleover, where a small number of the old hospital lights remain in operational condition.
The first of the installations is spotted a short distance along the lane after having turned left out of Murrayfield Avenue.
The lamp control gear is housed within the lantern in these examples; the cover over the components (which doubles as a reflector) is visible in this lantern.
Some slight cracks and dirt exist on the underside of this lantern, but it is in otherwise good condition, despite its (presumed) derelict state.
The installation, as viewed from the other direction, with foliage now surrounding the column base.
Surprisingly, the bowls remain relatively transparent, and have not become translucent through exposure from the sun.
The next column came into view a little further along the lane on the opposite side of the Murrayfield Avenue junction.
The front of the bowl was broken here, allowing more debris to gather within it.
The break allowed the Philips-made SOX lamp to be seen, as well as 1980s' Thorn control gear, suggesting that the original 1950s'/60s' gear had required replacement.
The chunkiness of these lanterns was very apparent.
With the gear having been replaced, the cover / reflector seen with the first example was missing.
The next installation was particularly difficult to photograph, having been surrounded by trees.
This too had a damaged bowl (which was noticeably more clouded). Peering up through the break revealed that this lantern had been re-geared also, with a rusty Thorn ballast being visible within.
The following installation was more visible, however.
As the so-called 'Oddie' key used in securing the bowl support ring to the lantern was no longer able to do its job effectively, a length of tape had been wrapped around the bowl and canopy to keep the former in place.
A small amount of damage existed at the front of the bowl, as well as some cracks on the underside.
Cast into the the front of the canopy was the Phosware logo, as well as SO 60 A / 3.
Two final images of this installation.
The lamp looked to remain intact within this example too.
Another Survivor from the site's hospital days could also be found on the lane. A sign with red indicator lamps overlaid onto a map of the hospital buildings was positioned alongside a small post supporting a twin impeller-based siren (much the same as existed during the Second World War to warn of air raids). Fellow collector Simon Cornwell, who has an extensive knowledge of the Rauceby site, and has documented its buildings on his Urban Exploration website, confirmed to me that this would be to warn of a patient escape, and not any sort of fire alert.
A close-up of the siren, with a length of Mineral-Insulated cable connecting it.
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