My Collection: Thorn Celest
| Manufacturer | Thorn |
| Catalogue Number (model) | Celest 36W TC-L HFF Cl1 PN |
| Wattage | 24W |
| Lamp-Type | LED BLL |
| Gear | Modified |
| Photocell | Zodion SS6 |
| IP Rating (when new) | IP66 |
| Date Of Manufacture | ~~/08/2007 |
| Date On Photocell Socket | ~~/06/2007 |
| Date On Photocell | ~~/07/2018 |
| Date on Lamp | 04/10/2024 |
| Date Acquired | 04/10/2024 |
| Restoration Status | Cleaned |
| Collection Number | #80 |
The Thorn Celest was a rare lantern throughout the UK; they were far-more common in mainland Europe. Despite this, a few examples were scattered about (mainly on new-ish housing estates). They were aluminium in construction and ran either 36W or 55W PL-L. This one previously ran 36W PL-L, but the gear was removed for spares and the lantern was retrofitted using a 24W LED BLL lamp. Overall, the Celest was a great-quality lantern.
They are simple in shape, best-seen from above. They remind me of a mini Philips MA lantern, and by coincidence, a Mk.1 Philips MA50-GO is poking into view in a lot of the images.
A June 2007 date-compass is present on the NEMA socket:
The Zodion SS6 cell is dated to July 2018:
The spigot can be adapted to fit either post-top or side-entry mounts. Thorn's logo is on the bottom of the lantern between the spigot and the bowl; it's a trait shared by many Thorn lanterns.
Access to the lamp and gear-area is gained via two rigid side-clips.
The LED retrofit lamp is installed inside. A cable-tie needed to be used to keep the lamp steady as the old lamp-support had crumbled with the heat.
Near the lamp-holder is a small metal clip which can be pushed to release the gear-tray.
Due to the retrofit, there is no gear on the tray, but a Philips HF Performer II was fitted here previously.
An August 2007 date mark is still clear:
The LED retrofit lamp running in the lantern:
