69CAC. Steel Bright Road, Smethwick, Sandwell, West Midlands Located near to the junction of Rabone Lane is an 8 m Stanton 1808 concrete column (ironically, not a steel one, nor is it particularly bright...), supporting a Thorn Alpha 1 lantern, for 90 Watt SOX (low pressure sodium) lamps. This whole installation is likely to date from the 1980s, with the Alpha 1 being the only lantern that this column and bracket will have supported throughout that time.

The installation was pictured in March 2025, about six years after Philips produced the last SOX lamps, and around 35 years since Thorn produced the last Alpha 1s.

The bracket is in good condition, with only a very minor horizontal crack existing near the connection to the lantern.

The lantern's acrylic 'Opticell' unit has a slight gathering of dirt within it, but the 90 Watt lamp would still shine brightly after nightfall, thanks to its new-style Royce Thompson Oasis 1000 photocell.

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