Concrete Lamp Posts

[Mikeya]

Hello all

A fine sight in Manchester today - lovely to see some GEC lanterns in the flesh!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@ ... 5904837744

[Bryn666]

Hello all

A fine sight in Manchester today - lovely to see some GEC lanterns in the flesh!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/36844288@ ... 5904837744

Lovely stuff indeed but alas none of it works and I think that site is earmarked for development soon. I don't think Manchester's public roads ever used fluorescent lighting though so these belonged to the private works.

[Euan]

There are still quite a few concrete lamp posts around here. Many of them are now much easier to identify than previously for the simple reason that the orange glow emitted by the lights now stands out in comparison to the modern LEDs. Many of the slightly less old street lights were directly replaced by the LED street lights whereas the concrete ones seem to have survived longer and are increasingly becoming the only source of any remaining orange light.

[Glenn A]

Never mind the lampposts in the first photo, dig those signs! Incidentally, in that first photo it is actually a Concrete Utilities column, not a Stanton.

Cheers Bryn. Must admit I'm not altogether familiar with the makes and types of lampposts so thanks for your input.

The first photo was taken at the top end of Bristol Road in Chippenham.

Similar Concrete Utilities posts were still standing in Norham Road North Shields until around 15 years ago. Many were in a poor state with the overheads drooping as if about to fall off. One or two had actually lost their "arms" but not sure if they collapsed on their own accord or removed for safety reasons.

Some had much application of PVC tape as a sort of last ditch attempt at repair. The PFI replacement programme scrapped the lot.

Despite many controversies such as the horror of black poles being fitted at the coast rather than types more suited to such areas this was one instance where replacement lighting was justified.

This part of North Shields north of the A1058 was the domain of full sized concrete columns that were built in the 1960s, judging by the lanterns. Some were sleeved and the lanterns replaced in the late nineties, but all were swept away in the early part of this decade when North Tyneside dumped all its concrete and blue and white steel columns in favour of a uniform black design.

[Focus 2]

Some of these on Norham Road were in a dangerous state. Many had their overhangs removed resulting in much darkness until they were replaced.

[Glenn A]

Some of these on Norham Road were in a dangerous state. Many had their overhangs removed resulting in much darkness until they were replaced.

They were probably approaching 50 years old, same as those on the east end on Charlotte St. Even older concrete columns with more ornate styling lasted on Wallsend Rd( A193) until the early noughties.
Rather a shame to see North Shields streetlighting replaced by the black LEDs with little character, as until recently, you had a mixture of pre war iron columns on some side streets, ornate iron columns with some fancy bracketing on some of the main roads, and a mixture of steel and concrete columns from the 1960s and 1970s.

[Norfolktolancashire]

I noticed these in Brandon, Suffolk, this weekend. They look old and odd that they haven't been replaced as the others have LED's.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.44964 ... 312!8i6656

[Truvelo]

I noticed these in Brandon, Suffolk, this weekend. They look old and odd that they haven't been replaced as the others have LED's.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.44964 ... 312!8i6656

What is the lantern? I've never seen anything quite like it.

[Bryn666]

I noticed these in Brandon, Suffolk, this weekend. They look old and odd that they haven't been replaced as the others have LED's.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.44964 ... 312!8i6656

What is the lantern? I've never seen anything quite like it.

It looks like a mercury GEC or Revo type.

[Norfolktolancashire]

I had a trip around the Wirral today, with an excuse to use the Queensway Tunnel to Liverpool. The streetlights reminded me of back in the 1970's, all those concrete posts. Most if not all have been retrofitted with LED, something I haven't seen much of with concrete posts.

Anyway here's a couple of views, the second one is from 2015, these have new LED fitted now.

www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4144891,-3.02 ... 312!8i6656

www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4264257,-3.03 ... 312!8i6656

[Truvelo]

Are the LED lanterns fitted to the concrete columns? Such a combination looks silly. Concrete should have big old fashioned bulbous lanterns like Alpha 3's and Turtles, not sleek LED.

[Norfolktolancashire]

Are the LED lanterns fitted to the concrete columns? Such a combination looks silly. Concrete should have big old fashioned bulbous lanterns like Alpha 3's and Turtles, not sleek LED.

Yep they are, looks weird. However it is good to see the original concrete posts left in situ. They are becoming rarer, although the safety side of them if a vehicle collides with them isn't good.

[Glenn A]

Still very much alive and well in West Cumbria, even if some have been sleeved and had three changes of lantern.

[haymansafc]

There's plenty of LED lanterns retrofitted on concrete columns with existing sleeved brackets in Lancaster. Here's an example on the A6. I will admit I was a bit unsure of this at first but I've grown used to this 'look' now. At least it's nice to retain some character in street lighting, rather than the last decade's obsession with fitting very generic, plain galvanised steel columns with post-top lighting.

The majority of lighting on the side streets surrounding me are now LED, but on the upside, the concrete column stock which survived the 'cull' we saw at the start of the decade have been retained and simply retofitted with the new lanterns - providing they were already sleeved, much like the Lancaster example above or had side-entry compatibility with the existing bracket. We've now got the only SOX lantern (a Beta 5) left on our street - and I think that's because it's a rare top-entry lantern. There was an identical installation a few streets away but I noticed when I walked by there a few weeks ago, the bracket had been removed and it had been sleeved with an LED lantern fitted post-top.

[jon81]

Hi, Pollokshields in Glasgow still has a lot of concrete lamp posts, especially around Maxwell Park, many with old SOX lanterns - see thread in Glasgow Streetlighting.

[Chris5156]

Here's a fine old thing hanging on in Bow, East London - almost certainly disconnected more than 15 years ago, but hidden for a long time in a tree so never removed.

[Kevin Roads]

I visited Shipley this week and was pleasantly surprised to see concrete posts still standing in this road, a bonus being that their lamps haven't been converted to LED. Unfortunately I didn't get the time to get a close look at the maker etc or take any photographs.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/K5LxdEfQcvwN4d7A9

[Norfolktolancashire]

There's plenty of LED lanterns retrofitted on concrete columns with existing sleeved brackets in Lancaster. Here's an example on the A6. I will admit I was a bit unsure of this at first but I've grown used to this 'look' now. At least it's nice to retain some character in street lighting, rather than the last decade's obsession with fitting very generic, plain galvanised steel columns with post-top lighting.

On the latest streetview this post is still there, but the scaffolders on the adjacent building have enclosed it, very odd!

https://www.google.com/maps/@54.0483525 ... 384!8i8192

[Bfivethousand]

The vast majority of Tamworth's columns have been brought to modern standards but for some reason the concrete columns of Buckingham Road live on in all their splendour and mostly with their (I assume) original lamps.

To be fair they are generally in fantastic condition!

[RichardA626]

During my recent house hunting I've been down at least one street with LED fittings on concrete columns, without the arms being shortened.