208D. Alpha Business Park, off Mallard Road, North Bretton, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire Installed on the main access road within the Business Park, along with a large parking area (some of which is given over to container storage units) are a number of 8 m base-hinged Abacus tubular steel columns dating from the 1980s, and supporting Thorn EMI Alpha 1 lanterns (very appropriate for this particular Business Park!), which were designed to run 90 Watt SOX (low pressure sodium) lamps. The use of base-hinged columns is surprising, as there is nothing (save for an un-lockable height barrier) to hinder a maintenance vehicle from accessing them; however, this would allow the maintenance to be completed without needing to hire in such a vehicle (potentially), although there would then need to be the Abacus counterbalance unit available instead. Perhaps because of this arrangement, the Alpha 1s are in quite poor condition, and may no longer be in operation, as floodlights are attached to the column shafts.

Sensibly, the first column is positioned at the entrance to the Business Park.

The interior of the Alpha 1's normally sealed acrylic 'Opticell' unit surrounding the lamp is filthy, with a large patch of dirt visible in the underside of the enclosure. The lower position of the grub screws on the rear aluminium casting confirms that these are later examples of the Alpha 1 - earlier versions saw the grub screws installed towards the top of the casting sides instead.

The second column was at a junction of the main access road, and another road leading to additional business premises.

As well as being splattered with bird muck, the Opticell also shows signs of damage. Consequently, its interior is grubby too.

Two further installations are seen leading down the access road; both columns accommodate small halogen floodlights.

The front portion of this example's Opticell is also broken, and the lamp is (either) missing, or broken too.

From looking up at the lantern, the former appears to be true.

The halogen floodlight is positioned higher up the column shaft on the next installation.

This Opticell is in terrible condition, with a large portion of its top section also being broken, exposing the internal above-lamp baffle plate.

The other side shows evidence of destruction too.

A larger floodlight is affixed to the final column on the access road, owing to the car park opposite requiring lighting.

This Opticell is in the best condition out of all of the Alpha 1s installed here, and still retains a lamp, although the heavy blackening around the electrodes would suggest that this has failed.

This appears to be a Philips or later OSRAM (which would have been produced by Philips anyway) lamp.

Much of the only accessible column in the car park itself is (ironically) obscured by trees and bushes.

Again, a fair amount of detritus has gathered in the Opticell.

Three further columns exist in the part of the car park now given over to the container storage compound.

Sadly, the foreground lantern's Opticell is smashed, leaving only a small portion of the rear part of the plastic in place.

The following lantern, whilst intact, has a break in the side of the Opticell.

Unusually for acrylic of this era, the Opticell has become slightly translucent from exposure to the sun for so many years.

The final example looks especially revolting, but the Opticell appears complete here. The Alpha 1 to the left is the one at the start of the road seen earlier.

From the front, the internal state of the Opticell is clear - although the Opticell itself is anything but!

One final view of the Alpha 1s, looking back up the access road.

At the end of the car park, and adjacent the East Coast Main Line, are two newer 5 m sheet steel columns made by Stainton, with both supporting Siemens SRL 35 lanterns (originally, the GEC Z9580 series), for 35 Watt SOX lamps. One is pictured below.

In support of the Alpha 1s, this lantern's bowl also sports a slight trace of greenery growth.

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