St Cuthbert’s Church, Thetford is one of only three surviving medieval churches in the Norfolk town. The foundations are though to date back to pre-conquest (Saxon) times, but most of the church dates from the 13th and 14th centuries.
The church was heavily restored in the 19th century, with the tower being rebuilt in 1852 and more general work being carried out in 1862.
Inside St Cuthbert’s is a Norman font from St Mary The Less and a plain oak rood screen dated 1865. Work on the churchyard in 2005 found that several tombstones had been displaced, suggesting the churchyard was in use during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The church interior had an incandescent lighting scheme installed in 2007, where a series of track lights with 96 Par38 lamps were installed at roof level; illuminating the nave, chancel and pews.
This system was controlled via a 1-10v manual dimming arrangement via a Pulsar dimming pack, providing a comprehensive dimming facility for the church volunteers.
Further to difficulties sourcing replacement lamps, the church trustees approached LTP Integration to design and install a contemporary solution that would replace the existing system.
A more fundamental issue with this system was the fact that the staff could not safely gain access at high level to replace spent lamps.
With contemporary LED lighting systems currently proving to be a far more effective and efficient means of providing illumination, LTP Integration collaborated with partners Anolis UK.
Their compact LED-based luminaire, the ArcPar™ S1, was specified. This is a wash light that would provide the required light levels, while offering a maintenance free system that would have effective longevity.
Just 12 ArcPar™ S1 luminaires were deployed to replace the existing system, these being controlled via a Pharos outstation.
The 24 existing lighting tracks were removed, with the associated existing electrical circuits being terminated to socket outlets at high level before being tested.
Redundant circuits were removed from the dimming pack and terminated back to a distribution board.
New data infrastructure was installed throughout the church at high level, allowing the Pharos system to communicate to the new luminaires and provide full dimming and zone control at the touch of a virtual button.
The completed lighting installation has provided the church with a sustainable, energy-efficient, future-proof lighting solution, significantly cutting costs through considerably lower consumption levels.
The church volunteers now enjoy a contemporary, comprehensive LED-based lighting system that provides a significant improvement over the light distribution previously experienced.
The luminance is also set to the most sympathetic colour temperature, which further complements a heritage venue of this nature.
“The new lighting installation has been a welcome addition to the recent refurbishment works being carried out by the church. It has removed the significant health and safety risk to our volunteers who no longer have to gain access at high level to replace lamps.”
For further information on the products and services used in this Façade & Public Realm project, or to discuss a similar energy-efficient LED lighting scheme, please get in touch today.
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