GEC ZD1172A SOX and MBF lanterns run up

These very unusual, but stylish lanterns were part of a very unorthodox range of lanterns produced by GEC in the 60's, and the lanterns themselves were made for more than a decade. They were designed by London and Upjohn and were shown displayed in the 'Posts and Posters' exhibition organised by the Council of Industrial Design, which was held in Battersea Park, London, in 1963 (comprising winners of the British Poster Design Awards alongside winning and commended entries in a CoID competition for the design of side street lighting fixtures).
These 2 lanterns were given to me by Jonny, and brought down to the lighting meet via Danny. I owe a huge thanks to them. The cones aren't original. I replaced both due to a small crack in the SOX lanterns cone, and a totally fake one on the MBF. Restoration included a painting of the internal crossbars and uprights for the lamp assembly, and a complete sand back and respray of the satin black, due to a bad repaint during service. The writing, once black on a white background, was reversed, so it was white writing on a black background. This way, the already fully known history, stays with the lantern.
Here the lanterns were both wired ready for their first power up since restoration finished. The old MBF gear dating to 1972, is very loud, but works very well too. the SOX gear, consisting of a Transtar ballast from 2004, and a capacitor from 1979, also work well, and in no time at all, both lanterns were at full brightness. Needless to say, they are stunning lanterns, and are now some of my most prized lanterns.