My first lantern was removed on the 26th March 2002 from column number 24199 (Blagreaves Lane, Derby) due to faulty control gear. The replacement lantern is an Alpha 4 of the same wattage. The lantern was brought round a day later, however I wasn't in at the time, and so it was kept hidden until Easter Monday (the Monday after the 27th), when it was given as a late 'Easter egg'! Being my first lantern, and a gearless one at that, I was unsure as to what gear was required, let alone how to wire it up, so I had the gear fitted professionally, and on the 26th June, the wiring was completed, and I at last could run my first lantern properly!

The Alpha 1 is, and will always be one of my favourite lanterns - it looked nothing like anything that had been produced before when it was first launched in 1955, to a design put forward by Mr Richard Stevens, and nothing like it was ever tried again - the Revo Sol d'Or came close, but still does not match the quality or simplicity of the Thorn lantern. In 1958 the lantern won a prestigious design award at Milan, as it was the first hermetically sealed and injection moulded optical system for a road lantern. Only in the early 1990s did production of the lantern finally cease - an excellent lifetime for a design that was as groundbreaking then as it was 50 years previously.

The following is the inventory record for this installation. This record is as it was in 1997, when Derby City Council took control of its own street lighting repairs from the County Council. Therefore, any changes made after this date are not known.

The Alpha 1 resting on my top shelf (where else?). The metal object just about visible under the casting is the 'Opticell' securing toggle. It used to fit completely into the slot, but after I sprayed it with WD 40, it hasn't gone back in completely. Before the toggle was sprayed, it was quite a job to fit back into place and I was concerned that excessive force could have bent it out of shape.

The Alpha 1 from above. Before I got one, I didn't realise that Alpha 1s had the reflective plate above the lamp to reduce the amount of 'upward light' being emitted from the lantern. The lantern is held on the bracket with three hexagonal allen screws, however after years of being exposed to the outdoors, these are more or less rusted solid. In fact, the remains of an allen key can still be seen in the slot on this side of the lantern!

Looking at the underside of the Alpha 1 now, we can clearly see the Opticell securing toggle fixed into the underside of the shoe. Although the Opticell looks spotless internally, there are a few flecks of dust towards the end of it. These cannot be removed unless the Opticell was split open (which is certainly not advised!). This is a 'lucky' Alpha 1 - very few have such clean Opticells nowadays - most have a nice pool of gradually greening rainwater below the lamp.

This was my first lantern, and back then I didn't know too much about control gear, so I had someone to fit and wire gear up for me. The components (L-R) are the Ignitor, Ballast and Capacitor. Just look at all those wires! Anyone fancy spaghetti?

The Alpha 1 at full power. The support for the lamp can just be seen. The refractors on the sides of the Opticell do a good job in making most of the light go downwards.

I now have two Alpha 1s in collection - click here to find out about the other one.

The column, which had previously supported the Alpha 1, 24199, was itself scheduled to be replaced as part of the Derby Street Lighting PFI. The following photographs were taken on Sunday, 21st September 2008.

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