I had long admired the elegant street lights which lit the gardens of London's Leicester square. Although they resembled Sugg Rochester gas lamps, they were obviously electrical and looked rather old, so I wondered if they were original conversions.

I was back in Leicester Square in 2005 and these spindly lanterns were still there, still looking battered and bent, although now converted to metal halide. They looked wonderful and totally in keeping with this bustling patch of grass in the centre of London.

When I returned in 2007, all but one had gone, replaced by Sugg Windsor lanterns. It seemed a real shame.

The truth is rather more mundane. The lanterns were modern Rochester reproductions made by Sugg in the 1980s. However, for every event in Leicester Square, the lanterns were removed so specialist lighting could be installed, and then they were returned. Therefore they became ever more battered and bent as time went on; and so I mistook their rather worn appearance along with their lithe dimensions as evidence of them being older than they actually were.

Still, thanks to an anonymous benefactor, I got one for the collection. And I shall ensure the oversized reflector remains bent and jaunty; so I can explain its rather special history.