It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 6:43 pm

All times are UTC






Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 13 posts ] 


Author Message
PostPosted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 9:30 pm 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:18 am
Posts: 84
Images: 23
Location: Walsall, West Midlands
I've just been reading about a designer called David Mellor after seeing at the Design museum that he'd designed traffic lights. It also seems that he did a lot for Abacus with bus shelters and lamp posts (see below).

http://www.abacuslighting.com/history-david-mellor.asp

Its just got me thinking that does anyone know any examples that he designed, and also does anyone know anything about the people behind any street light designs (columns, luminaires etc)?

Any help would be great as this would be interesting to look into from a design point of view.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 3:43 pm 
Offline
Site Administration
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:38 pm
Posts: 3402
Images: 27
Location: Salisbury
I knew about the connection between the late David Mellor and traffic light heads but wasn't aware of his connection to Abacus and also the bus shelters. There are 3 of those bus shelters in my village! - the single sided type rather than the fully enclosed type in the link. Just goes to show that like his traffic light head, good/classic design will stand the test of time.

The Atlas (Thorn) Alpha 1 was designed by Richard Stevens in 1955 and he was still working for Atlas/Thorn through the 1960s. The similarity in some of the designs - especially the post tops and the care in aesthetics is plain to see in Thorn lanterns of that time.

Another iconic lantern which is soon to celebrate 40 years of production, is the Philips MA60. This was designed by Tony Butowsky and B. Rogers and won a Design Council award in 1975.

More on the Alpha 1 and the Philips MA60 can be found in the lantern factfiles in the Reference Section.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 4:59 pm 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:18 am
Posts: 84
Images: 23
Location: Walsall, West Midlands
Hi there,
Thanks for those leads and info. I've just found a few pictures on the design council slide library :

http://www.vads.ahds.ac.uk/results.php?cmd=search&words=richard+stevens&mode=boolean&submit=search
http://www.vads.ahds.ac.uk/results.php?cmd=search&words=Tony+Butowsky+&mode=boolean&submit=search

Love the wall mounted Gamma 7 - and it gives leads to another two designers.

http://www.vads.ahds.ac.uk/x-large.php?uid=62458&sos=8

http://vads.ahds.ac.uk/x-large.php?uid=62452


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 6:17 pm 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:54 pm
Posts: 2977
Images: 210
There is John Ricks who designed the Phosco P178, P179 and the P222, timepiece's is probably the best way to put it as all three have stood the test of time.

The P178 is one lantern that I do think, still looks modern.

_________________
From streetlighting to radio, dance through the night whilst the streetlights are glowing outside.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 9:57 pm 
Offline
Member
Random avatar

Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 4:49 pm
Posts: 814
Images: 108
I'd be quite interested to find out who designed the Beta 3 - I saw the one in Salisbury before it was removed and replaced with an Iridium (it's saved in Phosco152's collection) and although I could tell it was old (because no way would it be installed 1970s onwards) but it looked strangely modern and contemporary, even in 2008/9.

_________________
"I used to rule the world... Now I sweep the streets I used to own."
Remembering GEC.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 11:50 pm 
Offline
Member
Random avatar

Joined: Wed Nov 25, 2009 12:20 am
Posts: 1047
Location: Cleveleys nr Blackpool
Indust wrote:
I'd be quite interested to find out who designed the Beta 3 - I saw the one in Salisbury before it was removed and replaced with an Iridium (it's saved in Phosco152's collection) and although I could tell it was old (because no way would it be installed 1970s onwards) but it looked strangely modern and contemporary, even in 2008/9.


Another top design by Richard Stevens - http://www.vads.ahds.ac.uk/large.php?uid=61747&sos=19

I wonder if he designed the Alpha 3 as well? Another design classic!  :D


Top
 Profile  
 
PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:17 am 
Offline
Member
Random avatar

Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 4:49 pm
Posts: 814
Images: 108
I wish lighting exhibition events were still hosted now like they were in the past. There was that one image that's floated around on here before of loads of different types of columns and lanterns in a row down a street for an exhibition. It's a shame nothing like that happens now - the passion within the manufacturers is going with so many new lanterns looking bland. A modern day lighting exhibition would be such a great event for enthusiasts to attend.

_________________
"I used to rule the world... Now I sweep the streets I used to own."
Remembering GEC.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 5:24 am 
Offline
Site Administration
User avatar

Joined: Mon Nov 09, 2009 5:38 pm
Posts: 3402
Images: 27
Location: Salisbury
Lighting exhibition thread here.


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:40 am 
Offline
Member
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2011 12:18 am
Posts: 84
Images: 23
Location: Walsall, West Midlands
That exhibition from the 60's is amazing - would have been quite a sight in real.

I think generally there is less interest these days around functional topics of life, and even so within the professions I imagine as well. But these all show amazing works of design too yet seems to be unspoken of in Industrial design circles - strange.

It does seem though that the UK still holds some manufacturing of luminaires so there may be hope yet.

Thanks for the info so far though - great stuff..


Top
 Profile  Personal album 
 
PostPosted: Wed Sep 14, 2011 10:28 pm 
Offline
Member
Random avatar

Joined: Wed Nov 25, 2009 12:20 am
Posts: 1047
Location: Cleveleys nr Blackpool
I think what's happened with streetlighting is a self-fulfilling prophecy, the blander the designs have got over the years the more people have ignored them and so streetlighting has blended into the background of the urban street scene. When I was younger, members of my family often made random comments about streetlighting, especially the old cast-iron columns and how they didn't like modern (at the time) lanterns fitted to them as they spoiled the character etc, although they were still much more attractive than the columns that replaced them!


Top
 Profile  
 

Display posts from previous:  Sort by  


Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 13 posts ] 

All times are UTC



You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 32 guests



Search for:

cron