Early Wellingborough Town Centre
Wellingborough Gas Lamps - Circa 1920's.
(Picture from the site of wellingborough.org)
Market Street
The top of Market Street with another impressive looking lantern. Note the curviture at the bottom.
(Picture from the site of wellingborough.org)
Market Street 1974 - this is opposite from the gas lamp. Now installed a Stewarts and Lloyds 12m column with a GEC Clearmain (Unknown serial number). Note the remaining bracket clamp at the top of the column. This was to support the previous lantern (originally in the picture from London Road in 1958) used to be fitted here.
(Picture taken from the Robert Wharton collection).
Market Square
Market Square - 1900's
(Picture from the site of Wellingborough.org)
Market Square 2006. Very different now compared to the previous photograph. (I think) the lamps are probably from CU PHOSCO. I can confirm, however, that the columns are from REVO and have been recycled. I wonder where they were purchased from?
Denington Road Industrial Estate
CU Phosco's from 1978. This has now been upgraded with 12 metre Corus columns, with side entry Philips SGS 203
(Picture from the book Wellingborough Memories, by Joyce and Maurice Palmer, 1995)
London Road
London Road, in 1958. Massive GEC (I think) florescent lantern mounted on Stewarts and Lloyds column.
(Picture from Northampton Chronicle and Echo)
Now further up the hill in London Road, 1968, this could be a PHILIPS, but the column is unknown.
(Picture taken from the book Wellingborough Memories by Joyce and Maurice Palmer. Published by Wharton, 1995)
Oxford Street
A Philips SGS 203 side entry lantern, circa 1997. Previously placed was an Eleco Goldenray. And before that, Wellingborough town centre used to display the popular Thorn Alpha 3.
Sponsors
Wellingborough Station and BL Entrance
More Urbis cut-offs at Wellingborough Railway Station. The car park have the same lighting, but with the bowls fitted. Originally, back in the 60's, GEC flourescents dominated this section, and had the letters WELLINGBOROUGH glued to the bowl.
In the background on the left, is the British Leyland water tower. When the BL site closed in September 1981, this was the remaining landmark left - until it was finally removed for health and safety reasons in March 2006.
And here is the entrance to the former British Leyland complex, now derelict and awaiting a developer to purchase the land for housing or other industrial development.
These lanterns are either early ELECO or GEC (I'm placing my bets here on the second option!). Now in a very sorry and sad state. After 26 years of neglect I am hoping to rescue these with the new land owners.
The Pyghtle
Top: Thorn Beta 5 top-entry mounted on a larger version of the classic and popular STANTON and STAVELY 7A swan neck. Look carefully and you can see it is spiralling . It has been known to be like this for approximately 15 years. This was part of the 1982 lighting scheme. In 1984, most of the swan necks in the same street were replaced with the metal hockey stick columns (which the bracket is in a 45 degree angle - see Lea Way) with the side version variant of the Thorn Beta 5. The top-entries were in service for only 2 years and the STANTON'S 7A's were removed due to spiralling.
Bottom: The Pyghtle in approximately 1974, with this photograph taken opposite from the junction of Gold Street. The red ring represents the original lantern prior to the THORN Beta. A GEC z5540.
**The 3 remaining Stantons were finally removed sadly in February 2008 and replaced with 16 meter CORUS hockey sticks with Philips SGS 201 lanterns**
(Bottom picture taken from the book 'Wellingborough Memories' by Joyce and Maurice Palmer. Published by Wharton, 1995)
Canon St Electricity Building
The same GEC z5540 lantern as featured in The Pyghtle, now sadly disused. It's fate is unknown as there are plans to demolish this buliding.
Bedale Road
Apologies for the quality of the picture on the right, but this had to be zoomed and this is the best I can get round it.
Left: Bedale Road, 2006. Part of the 1982 scheme with the THORN BETA
Right: The same road, but in 1972, pic taken from the other side of the road. A GEC z5581s, the original lantern prior to the THORN.
(Picture on right taken from the book Wellingborough Memories (1995) Joyce and Maurice Palmer. Published by Wharton. Original photograph from the Lawson Pratt collection).
Lea Way
Thorn Beta 5 side entry now being replaced and upgraded to Philips SGS 201 on 8M CORUS hockey stick column. Prior to the Thorn was the STANTON swan neck (exactly the same as The Pyghtle). However, the Thorn has been in service for approx 22 years, so the time has come to 'replace the replaced'.
The Thorn Beta may be retained and reused in another street, depending on the condition it is in.
