Hereford
Cathedral
scheme draws attention to the cathedral’s presence in the middle of the city, enabling it to be seen from near and far”
- Reverend Canon Andrew Piper, The Precentor of Hereford Cathedral
When embarking on the regeneration project, the Cathedral’s Chapter was keen to improve the exterior lighting, so that it would complement the other works as well as reducing energy consumption and maintenance costs. The project was partly funded by the Heritage Lottery and also had to meet strict conservation criteria. The previous exterior lighting had used a combination of metal halide and high pressure sodium light sources, ranging in wattage from 250W to 400W. These were used to illuminate the public thoroughfare that runs through the grounds, as well as lighting the facades of the cathedral from the buttresses upwards.
All of the LED facade lighting has been equipped with controllable white LED, so the Cathedral has the ability to change the colour temperature of each lighting unit should it wish to do so.
The facade lighting is also controlled by a timer, which switches the lighting off at midnight. In addition to the improved visual appearance and reduced energy consumption, the Cathedral will benefit from lower maintenance costs through the life of the installation, thanks to the long life of the LEDs. Graze and Blast fixtures, for example, offer a lamp life of up to 70,000 hours, making them virtually maintenance free.
In addition to the improved visual appearance and reduced energy consumption, the Cathedral will benefit from lower maintenance costs through the life of the installation, thanks to the long life of the LEDs. Graze and Blast fixtures, for example, offer a lamp life of up to 70,000 hours, making them virtually maintenance free.
As well as LED light sources, Philips has supplied column-mounted Cosmopolis lamps and electronic gear to illuminate a public footpath running through the grounds to the standards required by Herefordshire Council. One of these columns also has a Philips PROflood fixture mounted on it to illuminate a nearby sculpture of Sir Edward Elgar.
Lighting the
Hereford Cathedral