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Ecclesistical & Heritage World No.98

Wales’s medieval jewel now sounds as magnificent as it looks

RichardKingSystems pic1St Asaph Cathedral dates back 1,400 years, with the current building dating from the 13th century. The cathedral now benefits from a bespoke, comprehensive premium sound system designed and commissioned by expert engineers from Richard King Systems.

In addition to significantly enhancing the sound reproduction for services and events at the cathedral, the new system provides a matrix of selectable audio feeds for both live streaming and recording which is attracting viewers both in the UK and overseas.

Read more: Wales’s medieval jewel now sounds as magnificent as it looks

AV community prepares for its annual gathering

ISCVEx picThe annual meeting and exhibition of the AV industry’s trade association ISCVE will be taking place in person on 21-22 March at its traditional venue, the Coombe Abbey Hotel in Coventry. ISCVEx 2023 will be the premier event for audio, communications and AV professionals.

In a post urging potential exhibitors to act fast to secure space, ISCVE said: “We are thrilled to have such amazing support from our industry. This year we are expecting 38 exhibitors and more than 200 attendees and we cannot wait to see everyone there!”

Visitors can expect to see the latest products and services from leading suppliers in the sound, communications and AV industry, as well as learn about cutting-edge technology during the seminars.

Read more: AV community prepares for its annual gathering

Revamped masterpiece adds clarity to its delivery

Torpedo pic1While Rochdale’s Grade One-listed Victorian Gothic Town Hall is one of the finest municipal buildings in Britain, renowned for its unique and detailed architecture, it also functions as the ceremonial headquarters of Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and houses local government departments, including the borough’s civil registration office.

The extensive work being carried out will also create an open and accessible community space, featuring exhibition rooms and a new Bright Hall next to the Great Hall, for community events to take place.

Read more: Revamped masterpiece adds clarity to its delivery

Lincolnshire ‘Queen’ of parish churches is latest to benefit from lighting specialists’ attention

0n6919St Andrew’s Church in Heckington, Lincolnshire, is a quite magnificent parish church. Built in the 1300s in the decorated style of the period, it is adorned inside and out with ‘many statues, gargoyles, beasts, royal faces, angels and animals leaping from the world and imagination of the 14th-century stone carvers’.

The 14th-century church was endowed by a former vicar, one Richard de Potesgrave, who was chaplain to both Edward II and Edward III. How a lowly vicar could take on the building of a magnificent church is explained by a letter written in 1892 by the Venerable Edward Trollope, Bishop of Nottingham, quoted in a history of the church written by Sandra Sardeson.

Read more: Lincolnshire ‘Queen’ of parish churches is latest to benefit from lighting specialists’ attention

Expansion of pioneering private hospital in historic Leeds building set for approval

0n6689Planning approval is set to be granted for the second phase of a pioneering private hospital in one of Leeds’ most iconic buildings.

Leeds City Council planners are ready to give the green light to a brand-new 6,500 sq ft extension at the 17th century Red Hall House estate near Roundhay Park.

Phase One of the £8m development is complete with the multi-disciplinary Leeds Private Hospital at Red Hall now fully operational.

Read more: Expansion of pioneering private hospital in historic Leeds building set for approval

World famous Scotch Malt Whisky Society has fanlight by Yorkshire craftsman

The fanlight is an architectural device of having a window or 'light' above a doorway to allow light into an otherwise gloomy hall or passageway in the shape of a fan.

Initially, fanlight windows were rectangular and this example made by Anthony Temperton is above the dining room of the world famous Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Edinburgh  a stunning contemporary conversion of a Georgian New Town townhouse  where the whisky bottle is kept away from the stove and reserved for postprandial tipples – all bottlings are straight from the cask and unique to the society.

Read more: World famous Scotch Malt Whisky Society has fanlight by Yorkshire craftsman

Order in the court!

APi pic1The historic Guildhall in Tavistock, Devon, has undergone a complete refurbishment to allow visitors to have a more interactive and memorable experience when visiting the museum, council chamber and meeting place. As part of the project APi Sound & Visual were appointed to install a new AV system into the Guildhall’s courtroom.

The design of the courtroom was not conducive to easily installing an AV system without it being obtrusive when not in use. A system design that gave flexibility but ease-of-use was paramount to the success of the project. 

Read more: Order in the court!

York Handmade unveils 'transformational' £1.5m state-of-the-art machinery

YHB David 60 YearsThe award-winning York Handmade Brick Company has invested £1.5 million in brand-new machinery which will transform how the company makes bricks.

York Handmade, who are now the UK’s leading small independent brickmaker, is confident this investment will open a new chapter in the company’s illustrious history.

The first bricks from the new plant will be available in March.

Read more: York Handmade unveils 'transformational' £1.5m state-of-the-art machinery

Midlands trio add to church heating specialist's portfolio

MM pic1 St MarysA trio of churches in the Midlands are set to find winter more comfortable in the future. They are the latest additions to those benefitting from the expertise of specialist installers Mellor and Mottram of Stoke-on-Trent, who have been installing heating systems into churches for more than three decades.

St Mary’s in Royal Leamington Spa (right) is a Grade Two-listed building designed by J G Jackson and built in 1838-9. It is complemented by two adjoining halls, all suitable for hiring out.

Read more: Midlands trio add to church heating specialist's portfolio

Hinowa spider ‘vital’ to clear trees laying siege to castle

KYDEn3PTree surgeons have become kings of the castle after taking delivery from Access Platform Sales of a Hinowa Lightlift 17.75 Performance IIIS spider platform.

That’s because their first project for the exceptional tracked boom lift has been to clear diseased ash trees from around a Welsh medieval castle.

And without it, certain elements of the project would have been impossible to carry out, said Tom Morris, Director of Morris’s Grounds Maintenance of Rhadyr, near Usk, in Monmouthshire.

Read more: Hinowa spider ‘vital’ to clear trees laying siege to castle

Clock dials restored at St Lawrence Jewry Church, London

0n6701

The four dials on the St Lawrence Jewry clock tower in the City of London were faithfully restored and gilded with gold leaf, and painted black – the originally colour, discovered during the restoration process.  

In October of this year, a four-man team from Smith of Derby comprising Rich, Tim, Dan and Mak travelled from the Clockworks in Derby to London with the dials. Under the guidance of project managers from Bakers of Danbury and with the assistance of the scaffolding team from Fourways, they were successful in refitting the dials to the clock tower which overlooks the Guildhall square and can be seen from much of the City.

Read more: Clock dials restored at St Lawrence Jewry Church, London

Summertime and the lightning is striking!

Lightning story picWith summer in the offing there is actually a greater risk of thunderstorms and lightning strikes. That is because they occur in specific conditions, requiring two basic elements – moisture and rapidly-rising warm air. High humidity combines with warm temperatures to create a large amount of warm, moist air that can form a thunderstorm as it rises into the atmosphere.

Adrian Brown of lightning protection experts Lightning Strike Ltd has researched the causes of the increase in storms and explains it in his blog.

Read more: Summertime and the lightning is striking!

Parishioners at St Matthew’s are seeing things in a new light!

CLS pic1CLS Electrical Services Ltd – also known as Church Lighting Systems – were given the task of updating the existing lighting system in St Matthew’s Church in Worthing, which mostly consisted of tungsten halogen floodlights providing the main illumination throughout the church. Not very energy efficient!

After CLS carried out an inspection of the existing installation, they confirmed that the existing control equipment and most of the wiring could be kept and re-used, keeping the overall cost of the project as low as possible to meet the church’s budget.

Read more: Parishioners at St Matthew’s are seeing things in a new light!

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