Christchurch was built in 1840, during the fashionable Georgian spa town development of Cheltenham. The main tower of the church is visible from many nearby residential areas including the popular Montpellier neighbourhood.
The replacement of the aging sodium floodlighting was deemed to be a priority due to the cost of running the lights, the maintenance complications, poor access and fire risk.
Several of the existing floodlights were located inside the northern towers and pointed through narrow windows to illuminate the main church tower.
Apart from the normal Listed Building consent, planning and faculty consent, the lighting proposal required to take into consideration the complication that the main tower is home to a protected pair of peregrine falcons. The breeding female had been nesting on the upper levels of the tower for several years. These birds of prey will hunt during the day, but also at night. Careful positioning of the new floodlighting would be required.
The tower required the replacement of 4 x 400W Sodium floodlights. Two located in the northern stairwells and pointed at the back of the main tower, and a second pair mounted on columns at the front of the church. The existing fittings were replaced using 10,000lm (107W) Dialight Vigilant LED floodlights, with those in the tower being narrow beam versions to allow the light to project through the window and onto the tower façade.
In converting the existing lamps to LED, the church has been able to reduce energy consumption and maintenance by 75%. Furthermore, they also benefit from the 10-year warranty and 100,000hr product life offered for these luminaires.
The whole process from trials, through consent process to final installation took just under two years. The results, however, are dramatic and the savings are significant to a community requiring a low maintenance solution. The peregrine falcons continue to nest on the top of the tower in 2018 and are unaffected by the new LED lighting.
Oakhay
Tedburn Road
Whitestone
EX4 2HG
United Kingdom
