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ESLA Pole Bracket

Genre: Wall/Pole bracket

The pole or wall bracket was never well received by the early lighting engineers. They argued, quite rightly, that the installation of such brackets compromised the integrity of the lighting system, as lanterns had to be positioned on specific, pre-existing poles or were limited where they could be mounted on walls. The legal wayleaves presented further hurdles to what was already a less than ideal installation.

Yet the use of a pole or wall bracket reduced both capital and running costs. The price of a column could be offset against the much cheaper bracket; and expensive re-painting schemes could now be limited to just the short length of the bracket itself.

The brackets were available in many different lengths, with additional staybars (if a long bracket was required), and ornamentation to suit. Fuse boxes were usually screwed directly to the bracket’s base, but extra unsightly control boxes were required for time switches and/or control gear.

But brackets did have their specific uses. Narrow streets where columns would add clutter and become a nuisance were often lit with bracket mounted lanterns. Rural areas, where the cash-strapped parish councils couldn’t afford columns, allowed a limited amount of lighting to be mounted on telegraph poles. And the regularly spaced traction poles of tram and trolleybus routes presented an almost perfect ready-made installation of columns to which brackets and lanterns were often attached.

In the latter case, the brackets were upsloping, adding extra height so the lantern could be positioned about the tram/trolleybus overhead wiring. Such brackets were also used for shorter pre-existing columns and poles, so the lantern could be mounted at optimum height.

The use of pole and wall brackets has declined in recent years, often with brackets being replaced by column-mounted lanterns. Modern brackets, where used, are now much simpler and comprise a single length of tube with a flanged staybar.



Name: ESLA Pole Bracket
Date: Circa 1920s - 1950s
Dimensions: 40cm (length), 32cm (height)
Specs: Semi-circulat tube of ¾" BSP with two-point mounting bracket.
Lantern: ESLA Bi-Multi Group "AL" Two-Way 170°




History

The history of ESLA columns and brackets isn’t well documented. Only one ESLA catalogue has surfaced and that only gives details of some of the columns and brackets made by the firm.

Several semi-circular brackets appear in the catalogue with varying degrees of ornamentation. It is the only catalogue to feature this style of bracket.



Popularity

The semi-circular bracket wasn’t popular. Lighting engineers preferred straight-armed brackets to the semi-circular type.





The ESLA Bracket In My Collection

facing profile

This bracket was one of four purchased from a reclaim yard. All the brackets were of the semi-circular type, all differed slightly in their ornamentation, and all were fitted with different ESLA Bi-Multi lanterns. Therefore, suggesting the brackets were also made by ESLA was a reasonable assumption.




front profile

The bracket was made from a simple piece of curved ¾" BSP.




trailing profile

No identification marks or numbers were found whilst the bracket was being restored. The plain semi-circular arch with no additional features, and the simple four-way bracket mounting plate, weren’t in the ESLA catalogue but was close enough in design to look like it was from the same manufacturer.




portrait

The termination of the tube (by the mounting plate) was internally threaded. This would’ve allowed a fuse box to be screwed onto the base of the bracket.




esla pole bracket: as aquired

It is assumed this is an ESLA bracket. There are no identifying marks, but it does resemble the ESLA 1508 (although the pole mounting assembly is different) and it was fitted with an ESLA Bi-Multi Group "AL" Two-Way 120° lantern.

(It was also one of a collection; all of which looked like ESLA brackets with ESLA lanterns).

It was one of four purchased from a salvage/reclaim yard near Bristol. No other history is known.

The lantern is an ESLA Bi-Multi Group "AL" Two-Way 120° lantern. This was replaced when the bracket was restored.