Thorn Beta 5 Lantern Installations

Birmingham

George Street, Jewellery Quarter has three Beta 5s surviving  along the road. These are located on cast-iron Birmingham columns. The Beta 5s likely replaced REVO Diadems at some point in the past.

This first Beta 5 is located on column 3.

Column 6:

Elford

Column E4 of Church Road is a wooden telegraph pole with an AC Ford pole bracket and a top-entry Beta 5.

The supply cable is present on the exterior of the column. Notice as well the Zodion CdSi two-part detector poking out of the NEMA turret on the canopy.

From this angle, some water is apparent in the bowl.

The lantern was spotted day-burning in September 2024.

The first lighting column along The Beck also supports a Beta 5, this one side-entry. Ivy encompasses the column, making for an interesting effect. This installation has since been removed.

Fazeley

New Mill Lane in Fazeley supports a top-entry Beta 5.

The lantern is in fair condition, despite being slightly mucky!

From this angle, the dead 26W SOX-E lamp is plainly visible through the bowl.

The column is in good condition overall, but the door is partially submerged in concrete.

Harlaston

In the heart of this small village sits an amazing installation, a wooden post with an AC Ford pole-bracket and a top-entry Beta 5 running 26W SOX-E.

The yellow paint marks the pole box as clear of asbestos.

A replacement bowl has been haphazardly fitted, using a cable-tie and what appears to be an elastic band.

The pole dates to 1965, likely when the pole bracket was fitted too. The Beta 5 probably replaced a top-entry AC Ford lantern at a later-date.

Lichfield

Jumping over to Lichfield, on Fallow Field is a rather-odd Beta 5 on a street of Holophane V-Maxxes. It is mounted at 5m on a Stanton and Staveley concrete column.

If you look closely, the clip has come loose! I'm not sure how it's holding on, but somehow it is...

This Thorn Beta 5 is located on Townfields, Lichfield (an old street that was cut in half by the A51). It's building is listed as historic, so despite all of the other street lanterns being replaced by S-Lines, this one remains. It will do so for a while longer.

The bowl is severely coated in rust, likely due to water ingress washing rust off of the gear tray and gear. The white sticker on the canopy would have stated the number of the lantern, however this has since faded.

Britannia Way supports several privately owned Thorn Beta 5s. This 26W example can be seen day-burning.

Another example installed on the same building. These are switched from inside the building, as the ones lighting the entrance to the site are all day-burning, and don't have photocells.

Tamworth

Thorn Beta 5s are commonly found here on Industrial estates, the following examples are all from Two Gates Industrial Estate. They're all mostly forgotten about, missing bowls, lamps, blown lamps or just straight-up disconnected. Only a handful still work as SOX lamps are hard to come by and most companies don't care to pay for new ones. This one has had it's bowl missing for 8 years, and it hasn't worked since it lost it. The lack of a bowl allows us to see the failed 35W SOX lamp, and the sticker on the gear tray.

This beta 5 lost it's bowl 7 years ago, and much like the other it stopped working not long after. It would run on a Zodion SS6 photocell (if it worked)!

One of the last working examples on the site... Stay strong little beta 5!

Sefton Road supports three Beta 5s. Pictured below is the first of these (column T9)

If you look closely towards the rear of the lantern, the IP23 sticker is visible through the refractor bowl.

You may notice that each of these examples are base-sleeved. This occurred around 2017. T18 of the same road:

The lanterns all run 26W SOX-E lamps, and are fitted with Zodion SS6 photocells. They sport the older metal clip, which might be why they all still have their bowls!

Column T4, the last column on the road with a Beta 5:

Yet another old lantern in Lichfield Industrial Estate here, this privately owned beta 5 is located on Apollo. It is situated on a 5m concrete column with a short, curved outreach bracket.

It used to run 26W SOX-E, and doesn't work. As you can see, the column around the bracket has begun to crumble. you can just about see the steel pipe within.

More Beta 5s used to exist in Coton Green. They were all on 5m concrete columns.

This one was located on Longleat, Coton Green.

You can see the annual cobweb and dirt convention had chosen this Beta 5s bowl. Looking closely, it appeared to have the bowl of a Philips MI26/MI50, you can see the metal wire that was tied to the clip to hold the bowl on...

On the same street, more bowl issues could be seen. This next Thorn Beta 5 had it's bowl held on entirely by tape! The front of the bowl was broken off, likely the reason for it's dirt and water intake...

Also on the street are more of the same 5m concrete columns and brackets, that used to support Beta 5s before they were replaced for S-Lines in early 2024.

Another, but rather unusual, example of a Thorn Beta 5 is this one, located on a small side-road on Stevenson Road, Tamworth. What makes it unusual is that it exists in a sea of Holophane V-Maxxes. It is mounted at 5m and runs 26W SOX-E. I have my eye on this Beta 5, I hope I can save it once it is replaced.

This little Thorn Beta Five was located around Sandy Way, Tamworth. You can see that it's bowl has taken some shots, but handled them well! It was mounted on a 5m concrete Stanton and Staveley column and ran 26W SOX-E, evident by the black rim at the base of the lamp (35W SOX lamp will have a red rim)! This installation was replaced in 2024.

Uttoxeter

Column C2 of Bridge Road, Uttoxeter is a cast-iron swan-neck column topped with a pendant Beta 5. This likely wasn't the original lantern installed here, but it is still a beautiful sight! The column would likely have been a gas column previously, before being electrified.

The lantern is in great condition, inside is a 26W SOX-E lamp. A NEMA cell is perched on the road-side of the canopy, and the lantern appears to be "secured" to the column with electrical tape, but it shouldn't have needed that. My only theory is it is to help prevent water-ingress.

The Zodion SS6 NEMA cell is dated to May 2012.

This is a good angle of the lantern from below. It is slightly misaligned.

A replacement column door is evident.

Kingfisher Way supports an interesting example of a long-abandoned Beta 5. This one is located in a disused alleyway next to Select Convenience.

Column C3 on Ashleigh Drive is a Stanton 5m concrete with a Beta 5.

A length of metal wire keeps the bowl secured. It seems these metal clips are actually weaker than the plastic ones. While the clip itself doesn't break, it can come undone a lot easier.