176. Abbey Road, Llangollen. Situated on the junction of Green Lane, and just across from the famous Llangollen Railway Station, is a vintage 25 ft cast iron column supporting a British Thomson-Houston (BTH) Urban Enclosed top-entry lantern. The lantern may still remain operational to this day, as it is fitted with (what appears to be) a regular tungsten filament lamp, although this appears tiny inside the main road lantern; it being designed for high wattage tungsten and mercury vapour lamps. The lantern has been converted to be switched using a two-part photocell, and so, may operate at night.
The column is tucked sufficiently in at the junction for it not to pose a hazards for any motorists travelling past, or around, it.
The BTH lantern is likely to be a replacement for the original lantern that was installed on the highly-embellished top-entry bracket. Nevertheless, given that AEI ceased using the BTH marque at the end of 1959, at the time of photographing in 2018, this lantern was, at least, 59 years old!
Two versions of the Urban Enclosed were produced - one, with a glass refractor bowl; the other, as seen here, a transparent glass bowl with an internal refractor dome - both of which are in remarkably good condition.
A rather diminutive lamp hides inside the lantern.
The column base is rather substantial in its design. A hinged door allows access to the internal wiring.
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