This is a typical streetlight on a suburban street in Birmingham. This one has an older column with 2 steps which dates back to when the street was laid out. The side entry lantern I believe was used from the 80's onwards and they are still being installed when a replacement is necessary. Birmingham is one of the few areas I've seen where they don't mix different bulb types on the same street, in Dudley (a neighbouring borough) it is common to see mercury, SOX and SON lamps all together which makes it appear confusing at night.

The Revo Bell Top was another common type to be found on Birmingham's side roads. This one has a later column with just a single step and an earlier top entry lantern. This top entry lantern is now disappering fast but isolated pockets of them are still to be seen.

Here's another Revo Bell Top. This one is a side entry example fitted to a telegraph pole on a country within Birmingham. It has been swallowed up by the city yet has managed to survive. This lamp is still in use (2007).

The light is on the A449 near Kinver in Staffordshire. This is how it looked in 1996. Shortly after I took the picture the lens had come off leaving the bulb exposed. Despite this it still survives in working order.

This Revo Bell Top is on a side road in Wolverhampton. In the background are some other lamps which I have placed on the right. The top one is on the main road and the large swan neck is on the corner of the side road. All 3 lamps have been replaced by modern SON and hardly any mercury lamps survive in Wolverhampton.

This GEC Z5590 is on the same type of column as the last picture but the bracket looks to be of later vintage.

This picture was taken in 1996 at the M5/M6 junction. These were the last remaining SOX lamps on the West Midlands motorway network at the time but they were replaced shortly afterwards in conjunction with the resurfacing works. In the background these lights have already been replaced with SON but the columns were retained. This style of lantern appears to be unique to the motorways of this area as I've never seen them anywhere else.

Dudley is one of the best places for finding mercury lamps. Many still survive but the SONs are quickly taking over. This one contains a Revo Bell Top.

This is similar to the one above but the lantern is a Revo Prefect. Notice also the spalling concrete where the bracket joins the column.

By far the most common type in Dudley is a Revo Prefect on a Stanton column, complete with a photocell.

This is another type to be found in Dudley. The column is a triangular shape with a Z5590. This structure has since been replaced by SON on a metal column.