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This Thorn Alpha-One 90w SOX lantern is one of several to be found mounted on these 'cranked' AC Ford wood pole brackets in the village of Codsall, in South Staffordshire.

Thorn Alpha-One lanterns on a twin armed bracket, Toton, Nottinghamshire in mid 2004. The lantern on the left is a 90w SOX lantern, whilst the lantern on the right is the 55w SOX version.

The same lanterns lit at night in November 2004, but now with replacement Philips SRS201-90s patiently waiting above for the inevitable disconnection and removal of the old Alpha-Ones.

Photographed in Beeston, Nottingham is this Alpha-One for 55w SOX lamps

Thorn Alpha-3 lantern

1. Fixed to a wall-mounted bracket, this Thorn Alpha-3 lantern is a gear-in-shoe version for 250/400w HPS lamps. Photo Beeston, Nottinghamshire.

2. Another wall-mounted 'geared' Alpha-3, but this one is seen languishing on a disused garage forecourt in Nottingham in September 2006.

3. A remote-geared Thorn Alpha-3 lantern for 250/400watt MBF lamps is seen day-burning in Nottingham in 2005.

4. Here's another remote-geared Alpha-3, but this time seen from tree-top height in Beeston, Nottinghamshire in June 2006.

5. These remote-geared Alpha-3's mounted on Stanton and Staveley concrete columns are located just off Carlton Road, Stonebridge, Nottingham. Incredibly, they still burn 250w mercury lamps and are amongst some of the last Group-A streetlights in the City to do so.

Thorn Alpha-4 group of lanterns

Thorn Alpha-4 90w SOX lantern with integral control-gear pictured at Carlton Hill, Nottingham, July 2005.

Thorn Alpha-4 135w geared lantern with gear-in-shoe seen at Bilborough, Nottingham in June 2006. The 135w geared lantern is the easiest of the Alpha 4s to identify because of its large round-bellied control-gear cover mounted at the back of the bowl; however, the bowl assembly is common to all versions of the Alpha-4.

Thorn Alpha-4 135w remote geared lantern with flat cut-off bowl pictured in Wolverhampton in June 2006. This lantern was removed in August 2006 and replaced with a Holophane Syracuse 150w SON lantern, sadly this unusual Alpha-4 was lost to the skip.

Thorn Alpha-5 lantern

Deep bowled Alpha-5 lantern for 135w SOX lamps, Wolverhampton.

Shallow bowled Alpha-5 lantern for 135w SOX lamps, Wolverhampton.

Thorn Alpha-7 lantern

This is the shorter remote-geared Thorn Alpha-7 lantern for 250/400w mercury lamps, with a BLI glass bowl. This example was seen day-burning in Lichfield, Staffordshire in April 2006. My thanks to Colin Grimes and Alex Monk for identifying this lantern.

Atlas Alpha-8 (twin-lamp) lantern

This long disused Atlas Alpha-8 twin lamped lantern, complete with crumbling concrete column is situated in Alfreton Road, Derby. The lantern is fitted with both a 250w MB lamp and a 400w MB lamp. The idea being that around midnight the time-switch within the base of the column would switch over from the 400w lamp and onto the 250w lamp for economy running during the early hours of the morning. There was once lots of these lanterns in Derby, but it is believed that this is now the last one.

A close up of the same lantern; access to the twin lamps is through a weather-proof hatch, which can just be seen on top of the lantern's canopy.

Thorn Alpha-8 lantern

Old style Alpha-8 250w HPS lantern, Beeston, Nottinghamshire.

Another old style Alpha-8, this example being in Dolgellau, North Wales. This is one of the earlier Alpha-8's supplied in an all over natural aluminium finish.

Later style Alpha-8 250w HPS lantern in Nottingham. This lantern is now manufactured by WRTL, as their MRL8.

Thorn Alpha-9 lantern

Thorn Alpha-9 'geared' 90w SOX lantern with deep-bowl, Wolverhampton.

Thorn Alpha-9 90w SOX remote-geared lantern with shallow-bowl, Kimberley, Nottinghamshire.

Thorn Alpha-Ten lantern

Underside view of an Alpha-Ten cut-off lantern for 90w SOX lamps in Derbyshire in July 2005.

Thorn Beta-2 lantern

Older style Thorn Beta-2 lantern for 55w SOX lamps, Nottingham City.

Newer style Thorn Beta-2 lantern for 55w SOX lamps. Beeston, Nottinghamshire.

Thorn Beta-4 lantern

Thorn Beta-4 lantern for MBF 80w lamps, Penn, Wolverhampton.

Thorn Beta-4 lantern on GEC sleeve over bracket, Penn, Wolverhampton.

Sitting on top of this REVO cast iron column, is a Thorn Beta-4 lantern mounted on an AC Ford bracket/control box combination. The picture was taken on the Staffordshire/West Midlands County border in October 2005.

Thorn Beta-5 lantern (Amber-Minor)

Close up of an older style Thorn Beta-5 (Amber-Minor) 35w SOX lantern. This one is an earlier version with the metal bowl release clip at the front of the lantern; it was photographed in Toton, Nottinghamshire in 2006.

A top-entry Thorn Beta-5 35w SOX lantern mounted on REVO 'Cannock' bracket, set on a REVO Moseley-type cast iron column in Cannock, Staffordshire, summer 2004. The Beta-5 would have been a replacement for a REVO Lodestar open conical lantern.

Thorn Beta-7 lantern

Thorn Beta-7 MBF lantern for 80/125w lamps. This BLI glass bowled example was on the West Midlands/Staffordshire border and was photographed in September 2005.

Thorn Beta-8 lantern (Amber-Junior)

1, Thorn Beta-8's for 55w SOX lamps seen mounted on a twin arm-bracket in Wolverhampton in September 2006.

2. Maybe it's the odd angle of the bracket, but this is a very stern looking Thorn Beta-8. Picture taken at Kings Mill Hospital, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire in June 2006.

3. The 'reeded' refractors moulded into this retro-fitted vacuum-formed bowl makes this Thorn Beta-8 look quite different. Picture taken in Ecclesfield, South Yorkshire in June 2006.

4. Here's another example, but this one has gone completely opaque. Ecclesfield, South Yorkshire, June 2006.

Thorn Beta-9 lantern

A rare find in Nottinghamshire; a Thorn Beta-9 'gear-in-shoe' lantern for 125w MBF lamps.

Beta-79 lantern

A weathered Thorn Beta-79 'geared' lantern for 70w SON lamps is seen at Llanellty, North Wales on a cloudy day in September 2005.

Thorn Alpha-2000 lantern

Although generally uncommon in the UK, there are 100s of Alpha 2000 lanterns along the A50 from Derbyshire through to the M1 Motorway/A50 Junction in Leicestershire.

Thorn Alpha-2000 'geared' cut-off lantern for 250w HPS lamps. A50 in Leicestershire.

Thorn Riviera lantern

Thorn Riviera-2 lantern for 250w SON lamps in Willenhall, West Midlands, May 2006.

Thorn Gamma-3 lantern

Thorn Gamma-3 lantern for 2 x 250w SON lamps, Wednesbury, West Midlands, May 2006.

Thorn Gamma-4 Post top lantern

A cobweb covered Thorn Gamma-4 Post top lantern seen day-burning in Long Eaton, on the Notts/Derby border in July 2005. This is a mercury lamped lantern with either two or three 250 or 400w MBF lamps fitted; it's difficult to tell which without looking inside.

Thorn Gamma-5

Pictured on a late September evening in 2006 is this Thorn Gamma-5 burning an 80w MBF mercury lamp. Photo taken in the Merridale District of Wolverhampton.

Thorn Gamma-6 and Thorn Basique lanterns

Faded by years of exposure to the elements, this Thorn Gamma-6 is pictured languishing away on the now disused airfield at RAF Newton in Nottinghamshire. This is an example of one of the first generation Gamma-6 lanterns and is easily identified by its deep sided base.

A rather battered looking Thorn Gamma-6 post-top lantern for 35w SOX lamps in Borrowash, Derbyshire.

Another Thorn Gamma-6 for 35w SOX lamps, but this is the large canopied version. The badly mounted lantern is crudely fixed to a column-type made for Thorn Gamma-8 post top lanterns. The lantern was photographed in an industrial driveway in Barnsley, South Yorkshire in June 2006.

Thorn Basique post-top lantern for 35w SOX lamps on a rainy day in Bulwell, Nottingham.

Thorn Gamma-8 Post top lantern

Thorn Gamma-8 MBF post top lantern at Norton Canes, Staffordshire in 2005.

Thorn Pilote HPS lantern

Thorn pilote-1 'geared' lantern for small wattage HPS lamps, Leicestershire.

Thorn Civic lantern

The Thorn Civic is an odd looking lantern, but easily recognisable because it's in the shape of a shoe! This example for 70w SON lamps is seen in a side street in the town of Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire in July 2005.

Thorn Riga Lantern

This all-plastic canopied Thorn 'Riga' lantern for 70w SON lamps is pictured in the town of Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, in July 2005.

Thorn Triumph lantern

This Thorn Triumph-1 70w SON lantern is part of a recently installed installation in Toton, Nottingham. The Triumph-1 is the smaller of the two lantern sizes offered in the Triumph range, and is designed for lighting schemes on minor roads.

An underside view of a Triumph-1 showing the lamp and reflector arrangement, and also the location of the side-mounted canopy spring release clip. The Triumph is one of those lanterns that people either love or hate, and because of its peculiar shape it has earned the name 'Fuggly' amongst enthusiasts; I won't explain here what the name actually means!

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Please note that all pictures are by Claire Pendrous, or are part of the Claire Pendrous photographic collection unless otherwise stated; none of these images can be copied without obtaining prior permission.