38D. Northern Drive, Trowell, Nottinghamshire With thanks to Dwight for informing me of these Survivors. Installed along this road are four 10 ft (3 m) fluted cast iron columns, dating from the estate's completion in the 1930s, and fitted with swan neck brackets and early 1970s' top-entry Thorn Beta 5 lanterns. Originally, these lanterns would have run 40 Watt SOX or 60 Watt SOI/H lamps, but in later years, would have run 35 Watt SOX lamps only, owing to the obsolescence of the earlier lamp types. This estate is where my own 1970 Beta 5 used to be installed, until its column was replaced in 2019. Surprisingly, however, these four columns continue in nightly service towards the end of 2023 - not bad for products made nearly 100 years ago, and lanterns made over 50 years ago!
The first column seen from Trowell Grove features an AC Ford swan neck, which is likely to have replaced the original bracket, and may date from when the Beta 5 replaced the original (suspected) open lantern running a tungsten lamp.
The top section of the bracket appears to have been straightened out slightly, in order to accommodate the length of the Beta 5. As with my own example, paint drips are present on the lantern's canopy.
The next cast iron column was the next-but-one column on the road; one of the original columns having been replaced with a 6 m tubular steel column and Holophane V-Max LED lantern, again in 2019.
Unlike the first example, which used a Royce Thompson P42-type photocell detector, this Beta 5 uses a Zodion SS54-type detector instead.
A Revo Moseley column existed at the following position - this may have been an early replacement for an original column, or an installation added a little later.
The ESLA swan neck bracket is leaning backwards rather precariously.
Sadly, the front portion of the bracket's finial decoration is missing - it may have been cut away to avoid fouling the photocell detector. A length of plastic has been wedged into the back of the bowl to provide a rudimentary light trespass shield.
The final column saw a return to the fluted design.
This Beta 5 had also had a shield installed. The bowl here is slightly different in design to the type seen on the other lanterns. I would say that this is the only lantern to retain its original bowl, but with the other lanterns (including my own) featuring the other type of bowl, and all appearing to be of the same age, these bowls may not be replacements after all.
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