I've just been taking a look at Folkestone in Kent as I was on holiday there a few years ago and remember there being some classic and quite quirky installations there - and I'm pleased to say there still are, although the Arc has now invaded the town big time! But check out this selection of beauties:
Shorncliffe Road is probably the best example of local identity as it has these slightly unusual S&L installations with SGS203s and one Alpha 8 (a very uncommon lantern in Kent) installed. The white part of Shorncliffe Road which runs parallel to the railway line is also lit end-to-end with GR150s on S&L columns, without a single casual replacement in sight! A bit further down, on
Cherry Garden Avenue, are a few double-bracket S&Ls with GR150s surviving.
Castle Hill Avenue is lit with GEC Z5699s on 1950s S&L columns. There's only a couple of casual replacements, and they're both Gamma 6s!
The town centre still has loads of these
huge S&L brackets still standing. Many of them still hold their original Alpha 3s, but others hold SGS203/4s, Alpha 8s, Iridiums and Arcs, all of which would have replaced the Alpha 3s over the years. All these lanterns look fantastic on these brackets though! There's a double bracket installation with Alpha 3s behind the camera, on Dover Road!
The seafront has
these unusual contemporary installations which I think date back to the mid 2000s. And look at what the council have come up with to light the island crossing in the foreground!
Wear Bay Road still has
this row of top-entry mercury lanterns on 1950s S&L columns. Behind the camera you can see more of these installations with more modern metal swan-necks and Philips lanterns installed.
Harbour Way has
this unusual swan-neck column with a Philips MI50 installed.
What looks like a couple of
WRTL 2-Tones can be seen lighting the pavement by some traffic lights on West Terrace.
The path running between the sea and The Leas is lit with
these gorgeous columns with Urbis Saturns installed. Urbis lanterns are very uncommon indeed in this part of Kent (excluding National Rail-owned ones, that is)!
Yes, I know what you're going to say about
these, but the columns are certainly different and add an interesting twist!
These
unique installations can be found just around the corner!
Cheriton High Street is the only road I know of in Kent which has geared MA60s. Note that the MA60s' brackets have been tilted up slightly as well, giving them a slightly unique twist! There are also some integral geared MA50s, which are relatively uncommon in Kent (especially in large numbers like this).
Romney Avenue has a couple of
Eleco post-tops. In the background you can just glimpse a Vectra casual replacement (another uncommon lantern in Kent, although Canterbury City Council uses them a fair bit on side streets). Also at the top of the hill are some GEC Z9538s on hockeysticks, also rare to find in Kent!
Finally, on Holywell Avenue, is this
Eleco post-top (or is it a Revo Solumbra?) with a canopy which is too big for the lantern!
So there you go! A nice selection of local identity there, don't you think? This may not be everything interesting streetlight-wise in Folkestone, but this is what I can remember finding when I searched Streetview a little while ago and from my holiday a few years ago!