Belisha beacon

On another wet and gloomy day, I did at least manage a five mile walk between the showers. I struck lucky by finding an image reflected in one of the numerous large puddles.

A Belisha beacon is an amber-coloured globe lamp atop a tall black and white pole, marking pedestrian crossings of roads in the UK and in other countries historically influenced by Britain. It was named after Leslie Hore-Belisha (1893–1957), the Transport Minister who in 1934 added beacons to pedestrian crossings, marked by large metal studs in the road surface. These crossings were later painted in black and white stripes, known as zebra crossings. Legally pedestrians have priority (over wheeled traffic) on such crossings.

Less well-known fact: in the 1930s, there was a popular card game based on road safety that was called Belisha. It featured pictures of road scenes and a few notable places like Gretna Green and Robin Hood's Well.