Great article - absolutely fascinating stuff. It would be interesting to know why some of these lamp columns have lasted so well (Marylebone Road) whilst others have lasted so badly (the A2 Rochester Way Relied Road with its "intermittent street lighting" springs to mind). Was there one design with many different suppliers, or different grades of steel used over the years.
Once again, great article - I think you might have opened up a whole can of worms here.
I think there were probably multiple suppliers over the years. I posted about this on BlueSky and some people who know more about these things than me recognised some suppliers - the Westway lights, for example, were probably Stewarts and Lloyds, who had a reputation for very well made columns; they were absorbed into British Steel in the late 60s who continued making the same design. I think the Marylebone Road columns were also S&L. But other manufacturers were definitely involved. Fabrica might even still make them.
There were very definitely differences in quality and longevity between manufacturers; British Steel apparently pioneered oval-shaped openings for the access hatch at the bottom which were much stronger than the rectangular openings used by others.
Maintenance will also play a role. Being in a central location and prone to graffiti, the Marylebone Road columns had been regularly repainted (and were covered in a thick stippled paint to stop flyposting). I expect lights on more exposed roads like Rochester Way weren't looked after in the same way. The fact the latter were green suggests their last coat of paint was pre-Transport for London.
As soon as I saw this article I thought about the lighting column in the disused road that would have been part of the junction for the Thames Gateway Bridge (see https://maps.app.goo.gl/bXb5LoP78YJKaveV8). Is this the same type? If so, this may outlive all the lighting columns on the active road network!
Great article - absolutely fascinating stuff. It would be interesting to know why some of these lamp columns have lasted so well (Marylebone Road) whilst others have lasted so badly (the A2 Rochester Way Relied Road with its "intermittent street lighting" springs to mind). Was there one design with many different suppliers, or different grades of steel used over the years.
Once again, great article - I think you might have opened up a whole can of worms here.
I think there were probably multiple suppliers over the years. I posted about this on BlueSky and some people who know more about these things than me recognised some suppliers - the Westway lights, for example, were probably Stewarts and Lloyds, who had a reputation for very well made columns; they were absorbed into British Steel in the late 60s who continued making the same design. I think the Marylebone Road columns were also S&L. But other manufacturers were definitely involved. Fabrica might even still make them.
There were very definitely differences in quality and longevity between manufacturers; British Steel apparently pioneered oval-shaped openings for the access hatch at the bottom which were much stronger than the rectangular openings used by others.
Maintenance will also play a role. Being in a central location and prone to graffiti, the Marylebone Road columns had been regularly repainted (and were covered in a thick stippled paint to stop flyposting). I expect lights on more exposed roads like Rochester Way weren't looked after in the same way. The fact the latter were green suggests their last coat of paint was pre-Transport for London.
As soon as I saw this article I thought about the lighting column in the disused road that would have been part of the junction for the Thames Gateway Bridge (see https://maps.app.goo.gl/bXb5LoP78YJKaveV8). Is this the same type? If so, this may outlive all the lighting columns on the active road network!