Lighting a Grade I listed church, North Yorkshire

The interior of the church was previously lit from above with difficult to maintain halogen fittings. The church team wanted a less oppressive scheme and an alternative to continually replacing blown lamps.

The single most challenging aspect of the brief was to increase the amount of light in the church without impacting on the structure of the building. Surface mounted spotlights throw light up the arches and we worked with the manufacturers to match the paint finish to the stone which allows the fitting almost to disappear in to the background. High output LED fittings utilise existing cabling to replace the halogen fittings previously used.

The two tomb effigies are among the finest examples in the country. Lighting them is made considerably more difficult by a lack of mounting points for fittings and no option to recess cable. Everything has to be surface mounted.

The effigies on the tombs both have a remarkable level of detail and amazing texture. There are limited fixing points but the figures really have to be lit to be appreciated.

The church is used for many different purposes and the lighting has to support that. Lutron HomeWorks QS allows the church team to set the lighting for services, weddings, christenings, concerts and meetings with single press of a button on the antique bronze keypad at the church door.

It’s simple to use, fits into the church decor beautifully and doesn’t require apps or phone use that some in the congregation might find intimidating.

Many thanks to the church wardens and everyone associated with St Mary The Virgin, Goldsborough. Thanks also to Stephen Calvert at Pearce Bottomley and the electrical team at Dave Barclay Electrical. Finally, thank you to Charlotte Gale for the super photography.