It was quickly joined by 250W and 150W rated lamps, both tubular, and both designed for road or industrial lighting. The colour was often seen as a problem, and the lamp soon earned the nickname “the cadaver” lamp, so various attempts were made to change its spectral output. Doping the mercury discharge with other metals, running tungsten filaments in series and covering the outer bulb with fluorescent powders were used to modify the lamp’s colour, but all reduced the efficacy.

The lamp’s efficiency and colour output could be improved by increasing the pressure in its enclosed arc-tube. This was initially a problem as the hard-borate based arc tubes couldn’t withstand the increased temperatures and pressures; whilst manufacturing issues with quartz glass tubes prevented their adoption. It wasn’t until 1936 when Philips solved the problems with quartz that a new generation of high-pressure mercury lamps were introduced. Manufacturing costs prevented the quartz based lamps from being made in larger wattages so only lower wattage lamps initially used the quartz technology (and were therefore called MB lamps).

The smaller MB lamps were offered in elliptical glass bulbs and resembled the shape of tungsten filament lamps. To prevent engineers installing MB lamps in unprotected circuits – as they required gear to stabilizethe current – the bayonet connector was fitted with three pins instead of two.

After the Second World War, the mercury lamp was used extensively throughout the UK as part of post-war rebuilding. New installations were often either low-pressure sodium or mercury. The status quo with the MA and MB lamps remained intact until the costs of quartz eventually dropped and higher wattages became financially viable; and so the MA lamp was eventually withdrawn.

Whilst improvements were made with the efficacy and ight quality of the lamps throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the lamp remained less efficient than its sodium counterparts. The introduction of the high-pressure sodium lamp in the early 1960s, which was more efficient, meant that mercury was rapidly becoming a poor option for street lighting. When the energy crisis of the 1970s hit, forcing councils to opt for the cheapest running options, mercury joined fluorescent and tungsten as one of the lamp types to replace.

Despite its disadvantages, mercury still remained popular for residential lighting throughout the 1980s and 1990s, where its bluish-white light was preferred by some authorities. But the high mercury content of the lamps, and their poor efficiency, meant that it became increasingly difficult to support in more environmentally sensitive times. The mercury lamp was eventually removed from the specifications, and its production was stopped in the early 2000s, which resulted in its accelerated demise. By the 2010s, with massive replacement schemes and the adoption of LED, the era of mercury discharge lighting had come to an end.

Name: Relite Diadem Major A42.005/745
Date: Late 1960s - Mid 1970s
Dimensions: Length: 590mm, Width: 260mm, Depth: 180mm
Light Distibution: Semi-Cut-Off
Lamp:80-125W MBF/U

facing profile An eBay win, the provenance of this lantern was completely unknown..

front profile The lantern was fitted with the Relite/Simplex designed plastic bowl. This had an external black rubber gasket and was held in place by a single stainless steel clip. Hinged at the opposite side, the bowl swung along the axis of the road when released.

trailing profile The lantern's bowl and lamp canopy was slightly tilted to allow extra throw of light across the road.

canopy The canopy of the lantern was completely flat and showed no differentiation between gear and lamp compartment.

logo There were no maker's names or manufacturer's logos on the top of the lantern. This was odd as REVO usually branded their lanterns in this way – so this suggests, along with the streamlined design and plastic bowl – that this was the Relite or Simplex version of the lantern.

pedestrian view The bowl was relatively new and didn’t feature any discolouration. (Most polycarbonate bowls yellowed over the years). The prism design echoed REVO's old design patterns of swapping from vertical to horizontal prisms with smooth arcs and curves. The main beams were formed directly from the lamp itself as both sides of the bowl along the road's axis were blank. The prisms around the rest of the bowl were used to spread the light at high angle around the lantern.

vertical The base of the refractor bowl had simple parallel prisms to spread the light beneath the lantern. This increased the size of the "light spot" or "head" beneath the lantern and prevented the formation of bright spots on the road surface. Two small screws allowed access to the gear compartment. The bottom of the compartment swung down towards the pavement.

interior #1 The interior of the lantern was extremely simple. The lamp holder was mounted pavement side allowing the connecting leads to simply emerge from a hole in the side of the bulkhead from the gear compartment. It was painted white to act as a secondary optical system so that light emitted above the lamp would be reflected back down to the refractor bowl. The lamp itself was mounted on its own lamp-holder assembly. The lantern’s model number was cast into the interior of the canopy: “Pat No A42.005/745. Made In England.” This number suggested it was made either by REVO or Relite.

interior #2 Swinging the bottom door of the gear compartment open revealed the lantern's gear. A black Parmar P885 choke was held in place by gravity and a metal strap. This was rated for 80W HPMV lamps. The A94.090 8uF capacitor had a Relite brand thus confirming the lantern’s Relite provenance. It was dated 11/72, firmly putting it within Relite’s lifespan. Other components included a cable clamp and terminal block.