5d. Broadway, Darley Abbey. For the length of this route linking Kedleston Road with Duffield Road are a number of Thorn Alpha 1s installed on what appear to be 25ft Stewart and Lloyd columns (equivalent to the metric 8m column).
The road is believed to have been lit using 90w SOX (or 140w SO/H and SO/I) since at least the 1950s - the original lanterns being open Revo fittings as shown in a photograph taken in the same decade and Revo catalogue number 17. On Friday 7th December 2007, I attempted to take photographs of the same scenes as they appear today.
1950s Photograph:
(The photograph originates from the excellent 'Picture The Past' (www.picturethepast.org.uk) website and credit details are unknown.)
Present Day:
Again - not a completely different street scene. The drain cover at the front of the picture appears to be the same one, and the tree on the right appears identical. The nameplate for 'The Leylands' housing area is also visible in both photographs. The addition of a pedestrian crossing has meant that two of the Alpha 1s have been replaced with Alpha 8s on the same columns.
Revo Catalogue:
Present Day:
The scene is still recognisable in 2007 thanks mainly to the curvature of the road. Obviously the trees have now grown a bit and there are far more cars parked up! The concrete road surface has also been replaced with a tarmac one. I will take a night photograph of this scene at a later date.
© 2002-2008 Mike Barford