69CEC. Franklin Way, Bournville, Stirtchley, Birmingham, West Midlands With thanks to Dwight for informing me of these Survivors. Installed as footway lighting throughout the length of Franklin Way are several 10 ft (3·048 m) Revo cast iron columns supporting later GEC Z8896 lanterns, for 80 - 125 Watt MBF (mercury vapour) lamps. Until some point after June 2016, Franklin Way had no dedicated street lighting of its own, and so this lighting would have provided illumination to workers employed at the adjacent Cadbury chocolate factory. Only with the redevelopment of the former Franklin House office complex (another part of the Cadbury site) into apartments was street lighting installed along the road, potentially, rendering these earlier lights redundant in the process. While they were not removed as part of the redevelopment process, the possible regeneration of a former car park to the south of Franklin House may see things change.

Unusually, the columns are not painted the 'Cadbury Purple' that many of the other columns located near the factory are painted - perhaps, Bournville Lane (in the background) served as the former boundary to this colour scheme.

The Z8896s are attached to steel brackets that then fasten into aluminium spigot caps.

The simplified Birmingham Coat of Arms is cast into the column doors.

The columns feature stepped shoulder sections between their shafts and bases.

The grub screw employed to secure the bracket to the spigot cap is visible on this example. The Z8896s and their brackets were probably fitted in place of earlier lighting in the 1970s/80s; thus, their polycarbonate bowls have had many years to become discoloured by the combination of UV rays from the lamp, as well as general sunlight.

A length of 20 mm steel conduit, topped with a photocell bracket, had been added to the next column at some point after June 2014. Presumably, the lighting was switched and fed from Franklin House previously, but with this being sold off, a revised switching method was required.   

The addition of the photocell control may signify that the lighting remains operational after all; however, given how discoloured the bowls are, the new WRTL Stela Square LED lanterns installed on the columns opposite will perform far more effectively than the old lanterns will.

The final two columns were positioned behind the wooden hoarding that surrounded the former car park. A narrow single ladder bar is fitted to the columns. Just visible bottom-right is a wooden pole fitted with a rather sorry-looking Thorn SONPak floodlight, along with another photocell control for operating it.

The Z8896's hinge pin has slipped out of position slightly, although the bowl area remains relatively clean internally.

The final installation was to be found on the corner of the compound.

The bowl was missing here, and had been since 2008 (at least). Formerly, a large tree existed behind this column, which may be the cause of the bowl's absence.

The use of a three-pin bayonet lampholder confirms that the lanterns run MBF lamps, while the corroded lamp cap suggests that this lamp has been fitted here for many years.

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