Worcester Bridge Lantern Refurbishment
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Partners
Worcestershire County Council (Street Lighting & Conservation teams)
Prysmian Cables & Systems Ltd
Pudsey Diamond Engineering Ltd
Project
To refurbish and upgrade the thirty-two original 8-sided heritage lanterns installed on Worcester Bridge (A44).
Aim
Worcestershire County Council wanted to refurbish the lanterns by maintaining as many of the original features as possible. They required a specialist in both fabrication and engineering, as much as a lighting supplier, and called upon Pudsey Diamond Engineering to offer a way forward.
Solution
Further to a discussion with the Street Lighting team at Worcestershire County Council, we were invited to visit to view two lanterns that had been removed from the Bridge (one of which was badly fire damaged) with a view to refurbishing and repairing these to return them to full working order, whilst at the same time, upgrading the lighting to LED.
Both lanterns were taken back to our factory in Andover and with some consideration on how to restore these, we set to work on both lantern frames, returning them to their original natural brass finish.
Due to COVID-19, the entire project of refurbishing the columns and lanterns was delayed however in the Summer of 2021, the Council decided to re-start the project and a site meeting involving all parties was arranged.
After in-depth discussions, it was agreed that the thirty-two lanterns would be removed in batches of eight at a time by Prysmian Cables & Systems Ltd and returned to Pudsey Diamond Engineering in Andover. This process ensured that lighting was always retained on the Bridge as this is a key traffic route through Worcester City Centre.
As each batch arrived at Pudsey Diamond, they were closely inspected and, in some cases, the fatigue and damage was quite considerable as can be seen from the photographs. The lanterns were then fully dismantled, with the old gear and damaged parts removed.
The original frames of the lanterns were then stripped to remove the old paint, debris and grime, and replacement tooling and components designed and commissioned as required. This included two brass castings which allowed for easy removal/maintenance of the lanterns.
During this delicate process, it was agreed that the lanterns should be returned to their original polished brass finish, rather than powder coated. Furthermore, as the original cast columns were also being refurbished (by others) at the same time and the paint colour on these was to be changed to that more directly associated with the heritage of Worcester, all parties agreed that a natural brass finish on the lanterns would be the most appropriate to restore the heritage feel.
As part of the refurbishment process, a new polycarbonate bucket was designed and commissioned as many of the original glazing panels were damaged or cracked. To achieve this, we used our 3D scanner to get 3D data to ensure the new buckets would be a perfect fit.
Further to several discussions with the Planning & Conservation Officer, it was agreed that we would arrange for the inside of the rear quadrant of the new buckets to be frosted and, would also fit internal light shields to the rear of the optic to reduce any unnecessary light spill onto the river below. To ensure we completely satisfied this brief, we set up a test area within our factory at the height the lanterns would be fitted and provided the Client with the data.
It was also necessary to design, develop and commission new inverted “stirrup” brackets to suspend the lanterns from as the originals were either damaged or no longer fit for purpose.
During the various phases of the project, a major storm hit Worcester Bridge and one of the original lanterns (as yet untouched) was brought down and sadly stolen. Thankfully, after much effort by Worcestershire County Council and the use of social media, the lantern was reunited with its rightful owner, and this too came back to Andover for repair and refurbishment; this meant the entire project could be completed without the need to commission a complete, new lantern.
During the rebuild process of each unit, we were able to ensure the integrity of the finished lanterns by installing our unique ClamPD seal technology, the lanterns now consist of our award-winning Varoptic® x 4 mantle optic module, 3000K and a wide road distribution.
As each batch of the lantern refurbishments were completed, they were returned to Prysmian Cables & Systems Ltd who co-ordinated with the company undertaking the column refurbishments for the re-installation of the columns and lanterns.
As in every lighting upgrade programme one of the keys to success is the forward planning and the collaborative relationship between all parties involved to ensure the process runs smoothly. The frequent communications between Worcestershire County Council, Prysmian Cables & Systems Ltd and Pudsey Diamond Engineering, along with a very detailed programme ensured the execution of the project in a very efficient manner, giving Worcestershire County Council superb energy savings whilst preserving the historic character of this iconic Bridge.
Key Project Requirements:
- Preserving the original lanterns and refurbishing them to restore the original look and feel of the area, whilst providing the appropriate light output
- Energy savings
- Lighting criteria compliant
- Choice of optic & colour temperature
- Low glare solution
- Authentic heritage aesthetics
- Quality engineered solution
- UK design & manufacture
- Easy to install & maintain
Worcestershire County Council comments - Glenn Lucitt, Worcestershire County Council
"Thanks again for all you have done to bring this project to conclusion. Please see the following Youtube link also for the visit made by our Cabinet Member. " https://youtu.be/XL_EHKdPSIw
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