Revo C2626S Lodestar

Mid May, I took a drive to meet a fellow collector. During my visit, they informed me about a Revo Lodestar they may have surplus, and after a bit of back and forth, here we are with possibly the oldest lantern to arrive in my collection.

The Revo Lodestar is widely regarded as being the most simple lantern to have ever been offered. Produced between the 1930's to the 1950's, this delightful open conical design was intended for use on minor or rural roads, its primary function only to reduce upwards light, with little to no optical control at all. Its primary colour scheme was a green canopy with white enamelled reflector.
This example is the smaller C2626S (14" diameter) and originally came from Old Penkridge Road, Cannock, and was removed in 2007 when lighting renewals sadly forced their demise. At the time, only 3 were left of the original installation, and despite repeated requests to be saved complete, they were cut from their ornate swan neck brackets.

80 years of installation hasn't been kind to the lantern at all, the cast iron lip is chipped, and the reflector has rusted through in places, however the lantern is intact, and will be fully restored. The photo's uploaded here are during its careful strip down to assess its overall condition, involving getting all the screws turning, and removing what was left of the bracket from the finial. The anti vibration mechanism round the lamp holder is a work of genius, and despite is simplicity, still works as good as new. Overall, a fantastic addition, and one that will be appreciated for long to come.