Kent County Council is currently replacing all of its street lighting with LED. Tonbridge in Kent has undergone the change in the last two years, with Phosco P862s recently installed on the main roads and Phosco P852s installed some time ago in the side streets.
Phosco P852s have replaced the existing SOX and SON lighting in Tonbridge in Kent. This photograph was taken in December 2016.
Thankfully there are a few old stragglers left - notably difficult-to-get-to lanterns, some top-entry lighting on swan-necks, some heritage lighting and some street lighting with metal halide lamps in them, which all emit a white light not far away from the 4000K colour temperature chosen for the LED street lighting. Most people wouldn't notice the difference, and perhaps the street lighting crews didn't either!
Tonbridge High Street has these heritage lanterns which hark back to the days of the carbon arc lights. This photograph and the next eight photographs of the High Street were taken in October 2017.
Most of these heritage lanterns run SON lamps, but there is the occasional metal halide lamp.
A close-up of one of the brackets and carbon arc-style lanterns
Although it is excellent to see these carbon arc-style lanterns, as opposed to the usual (and sadly prosaic) main road heritage lanterns, the columns that hold these lanterns up do look incredibly thin.
Furthermore, a couple of the columns have their lanterns missing.
Having said that, it is a good-looking installation overall, and quite rare for a town centre these days.
Just off the High Street in Castle Street is this rare top-entry Metropolitan Vickers (Metro-Vick) SO 'Fifty' lantern. Sadly it has been replaced with the adjacent column here, but the original column and lantern are still in situ. This photograph was also taken in October 2017.
The main High Street bridge over the River Medway is lit with SON-running Phosco P109s. The River Medway temporarily splits into two in Tonbridge town centre, and the High Street bridge over the smaller of the two rivers is lit with these GEC Z8455 lanterns, which now run SON bulbs. This photograph was taken in September 2017.
A close-up photograph of the two GEC Z8455s taken in October 2017.
Also just off the High Street - in East Street - is this surviving old and deep-bowled top-entry SOX lantern - one of a pair. It looks like it could be a Phosco P122 (although there are no vertical ridges on the bowl ends), or an AEI Amberline Junior. This photograph was taken in October 2017, and I ought to revisit the lantern in daylight to see what it is.
A close-up of the mystery lantern (with the back of the bowl painted black). Photograph taken in October 2017.
The limited time left for this lantern can be foretold by looking further along East Street. Photograph taken in October 2017.
This Thorn Gamma Five lights a pedestrian route between the River Medway and the Sainsburys car park.
A close-up photograph of the day-burning Thorn Gamma Five.
Also on the edge of the Sainsburys car park is this GEC ZD10517. It sadly doesn't light up at night. This photograph was taken in July 2017.
A close-up photograph of the GEC ZD10517 also taken in July 2017.
Talking of lanterns not working, this GEC Z8260 on railway land east of Tonbridge railway station hasn't worked in all the time I've known of its existence. Another GEC Z8260 can be found on railway land to the west of Tonbridge railway station. This photograph was taken in March 2016.
In the railway station car park, this quad-bracket's lanterns has an unusual mix of light sources. This photograph and the next photograph were taken in October 2017.
A close-up photograph of the top of the column.
The station car park also has these five "open" main road lanterns for tungsten or mercury lamps. This photograph and the next two photographs were taken in July 2017.
Sadly I have never seen them lit at night, although the lantern missing its refractor ring at the rear appears to be holding an MBF or SON-E lamp.
A final close-up view of the unusual installation.
Although the conversion of the town of Tonbridge to LED is virtually complete, ther is still a few installations around for the enthusiast to enjoy.