Pylon of the Month May 2022
May 26, 2022
May's Pylon of the Month first caught my eye on Twitter courtesy of @simoncgallagher and you can see more of his fantastic photography on Instagram. The picture was taken at sunset and the beautiful sky in the background immediately made me think of 'the violet hour' as described by T S Eliot in section three of The Wasteland. The phrase crops up more than once, but is most obviously related to evening by:
At the violet hour, the evening hour that strives
Homeward, and brings the sailor home from sea,
The typist home at teatime, clears her breakfast, lights
Her stove, and lays out food in tins.
I'm not sure if it was T S Eliot who coined the phrase in the first instance, but in the unlikely event that any pylon fans also happen to be literary scholars specialising in TS Eliot and/or Modernism please do get in touch. Anyway, the violet hour has certainly got a bit of traction with a quick Google search revealing a contemporary art gallery, a Chicago cocktail bar, a play and a British alternative/folk rock band.
Anyway, back to the pylon which is an L6, a classic design introduced in the early 1960s and a common sight all across the UK. This one is on the Pelham 400 kV line just west of Bishop's Stortford and just north of the 715 MW CCGT Rye House power station. If you're looking for a reason to visit, it has the largest air-cooled condenser in Europe after which you can take your pick of the best pubs in Bishop's Stortford whilst you look back on a few hours well spent. That's all for now - come back next month for more or head to @pylonofthemonth on Twitter for more regular pylon action.
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