72AE. Dove Fields, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire Situated within the grounds of two separate companies on this industrial estate are columns supporting products from Thorn's Alpha range - the 3 and 9; the former, being fitted to 8 m mid-hinged sheet steel columns, and the latter, being fitted to an 8 m Thorn QC3 aluminium column. The Alpha 3s, although designed for running 250 - 400 Watt MBF (mercury vapour), SON (high pressure sodium) or MBI (metal halide) lamps, now run LED 'corn' lamps instead; the Alpha 9 still accommodates a 90 Watt SOX (low pressure sodium) lamp, although it may not be in operation any longer.

Three Alpha 3s are installed in the car park of the first business.

All are of the gear-in-head configuration, though as these LED lamps are not compatible with discharge lamp control gear, the components may have been removed (or at the very least, wired out).

Zooming in on the background lantern on the same side of the car park reveals that the bowl is damaged, with bolts added, to hold it secure to the lantern canopy.

The LED lamp is visible within the left-hand lantern.

The Alpha 9 overhangs a marquee-like structure. Previously, a second column installed opposite, on the other side of the yard, supported a second Alpha 9. Although this column still survives, it now supports a floodlight in place of the bracket.

Two u-bolts clamp the surviving bracket to the top of the column. A bung that should plug the open end of the bracket is missing.

The Alpha 9 is also gear-in-head, and is an early example, as it features the deeper bowl that was a necessity, owing to the larger gear components that the lantern accommodated - later geared versions, and all gear-in-base versions, employed a shallower bowl.

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