Another eBay win, this lantern was probably originally from Essex (perhaps near Basildon). Mounted on an A C Ford swan neck and bracket, this GEC Z5580 lantern is fitted with the standard prismatic glass bowl option for this lantern.

It's fitted to an A C Ford bracket.

Opening the bowl (with was difficult because the toggle catch had partly seized), I found myself looking at a rather old, extremely large old bulb. So I gently removed it and took a closer look.

The pear shaped bulb looked rather large and oversized in such a small lantern. It also looked old and the terminal cap had come loose.

The markings on the bulb had partially gone, but you could still see the makers' name (Philips) and the type (160W MBTL). Checking with the excellent Lamptech site, I discovered it probably dated from the 1960s or 1970s. So, the lantern wasn't serviced for over 30 years.

Unfortunately the bulb appears broken and doesn't light. I took this photograph after testing the wiring with a standard 60W GLS bulb.

Whilst I had this lantern out, it allowed me to experiment with the focusing.