2. Boston, Lincolnshire. On one side of the town hall, there is a Philips SGS 203 lantern mounted on a cream coloured bracket. If you follow the cables from where the bracket reaches the wall to the ground, you will see two boxes with the cables running through. They are also cream coloured. One has the words 'Osira lamps and GEC equipment' and the other says 'Venner Time switch.' I believe Osira lamps were mercury lamps. Venner were the big name in time switches in days gone by. From what I have seen in videos, a Thorn Alpha 3 lantern was there for a time. Alpha 3's were originally designed for mercury lamps, but were eventually converted to High Pressure Sodium. This lantern only dates from the 1960's, so I believe an even older lantern was here before this one - possibly a top entry one. It is unlikely that any control gear remains inside this box as the SGS 203 has its own integral gear. If the time switch is still in the other box, and still works, it would be an interesting find.
Fellow Collector Simon Cornwell tells me that "The box is a GEC Z1911 cast iron box. It dates from the 1930s; and was designed to carry the gear for an OSRAM Osira lamp - the first mercury MA lantern; namely a choke, condenser and two fuses. It could work with 250W or 400W MA lamps. (OSRAM being GEC's bulb company)." - Thanks Simon!
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