Any street lighting enthusiasts visiting the Library of Birmingham, in Birmingham City Centre, would be well advised to go up to the rooftop garden and take a camera with them. The rear of the building looks down on Cambridge Street.
Cambridge Street, as viewed from the rooftop garden at the Library of Birmingham. All photographs in this post were taken last month (September 2017).
Four roads to the west of the Library of Birmingham have, very unusually, maintained an unspoilt installation of Phosco P222s to this day. These two are undrilled for photocells.
The rarely-seen top of a Phosco P222. Each of the three lamps in this one is celled individually.
The roundabout on Cambridge Street, as viewed from the ground, with the Library of Birmingham building in the background on the right. Four of the five Phosco P222s that light this roundabout are visible in this wideangle view.
The view along Cambridge Street.
There was a day-burner outside the Prince of Wales pub in Cambridge Street.
A close-up view of the day-burning P222.
This wideangle view of King Edward's Road contains ten Phosco P222s in total, and not a casual replacement in sight.
A closer view of the eight P222s on the right side of King Edward's Road in the above photograph.
St. Vincent Street in Birmingham City Centre is also populated by Phosco P222s, unspoilt between the King Edward's Road roundabout and Sheepcote Street.
On the path by the railway line which passes under St. Vincent Street, there is also a GEC ZD10606. The tubular SON lamp is visible inside.
Also unspoilt by casual replacements, Sheepcote Street is a sight to behold. There are eight Phosco P222s on the left side of the street in this photograph, and five on the right.
A zoomed-in view of the above photograph.
Sheepcote Street as seen from the other end of the road (the roundabout near Broad Street).
It is a surprise to see such an unspoilt installation of "saucers", firstly considering their age and secondly, considering their location here. Their light distribution is not ideally suited to a tightly-packed city centre residential street, as I imagine the residents of the upper floor flats would testify.
A final view of Sheepcote Street. Sadly I was only in Birmingham City Centre for a day, so I did not get to see this magnificent surviving installation by night.
If you're in Birmingham City Centre anytime soon, whether in the day or at night, a quick walk along Cambridge Street, St. Vincent Street, King Edward's Road or Sheepcote Street may be worth your while!