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FRESH plans to light Henley Bridge have been drawn up. Grub Screws M2
Make Henley Shine, a small group of businesspeople, wants to put mini ultra-low light LED nodes on the historic crossing to create an “iconic beacon” for residents and visitors.
This would involve 456 lights, four less than had previously been proposed by the group before withdrawing its original planning application on the advice of council officials in June last year. A new application has been submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council and Wokingham Borough Council, the planning authorities on either side of the river.
It says that the lights would be laid flat on the arches, spaced 50cm to 61cm apart and linked by a single cable.
They would not be fixed to the stonework of the Grade I listed structure but screwed into the large joints between stones.
Each arch would have 18 to 22 nodes and each buttress five nodes so the lights ran the full length of the balustrade.
The nodes have a 140-degree spread in order to create a wash of light and would come on automatically at dusk before being turned off at midnight. They could be programmed to feature different colours and come on and go off as part of a sequence effect.
Gavin Jackson, an architect with Make Henley Shine and a town councillor, said the aim was to celebrate the historical and cultural significance of the 1786 bridge. He said: “This proposal would create an iconic beacon that would be a magnet for residents and visitors.
“The bridge design, although drawn from the classical tradition, has a curved road and balustrade, making this feature unusual and of significance.
“Sitting as part of the wider townscape setting, which includes the Angel on the Bridge pub, the Relais Henley and St Mary’s Church, this grouping forms the picture postcard view of Henley known all over the world.
“At night-time, the picture is very different. The Angel, Relais and St Mary’s are all illuminated but the bridge is ignored and sits in darkness.
“The aim of this project is to celebrate the bridge, to give it the significance it deserves by bringing it into its rightful place as the centrepiece of the nocturnal landscape setting.”
Mr Jackson, who lives in Bell Street Mews, said the group had considered different options for lighting the bridge.
He said: “We rejected the idea of festoon lights mounted on the bridge balustrade for several reasons.
“They would require metal structural supports attached to the bridge via substantial mechanical fixings. The installation would require road and pavement closures, causing traffic chaos, and the end result would not light the key features of the bridge.
“Likewise, we rejected the principle of floodlighting as again it would require substantial mechanical fixings and need such high light levels to be able to illuminate the centre of the bridge.
“This would cause glare to drivers on the bridge as light would pass through the balustrade and cast long shadows, which would detract from the architectural detailing of the stonework.
“The best solution came from an understanding of the key features of the bridge with its five arches, the arc of the balustrade and the curved breakwater buttresses.
“If the illumination came from small lightweight fittings placed along the architectural forms of the arches, balustrades and buttresses then, by following these lines, it would not only enhance these key shapes but would be able to up light the mass of the ashlar stone facing.
“It would also pick out the detailing of the cornice’s dentil course and scalloped caps to the buttresses. In this way we would accentuate shape, form and detail.
“By being lightweight, we would require no structure or substantial mechanical fixings. Furthermore, we would not require any road or pavement closures as all the installation would be done from the water.
“For the cables, we have chosen a mid-grey so that they would be a low contrast with the variety of colours of stone and degrees of weathering that exist along the bridge.
“Historically, numerous items have been bolted or screwed on to the bridge with little regard for appropriateness of fixing type or location.”
Mr Jackson said that the bridge had been illuminated in different ways over the years, including with festoon lighting in the early 20th century, floodlights in the late 20th century and with heritage lamp standards. Make Henley Shine is working with Signify, formerly Phillips Lighting, whose products have been used to light listed buildings and bridges worldwide.
Mr Jackson said the group had consulted with Oxfordshire County Council, which is responsible for the repair and maintenance of the bridge. The cables would be fixed with marine grade stainless-steel button head screws into the joints between stones.
There is already a power supply to the bridge, which is built into the wall adjacent to the Angel on the Bridge and was used to power the old floodlights.
From here, a cable is routed under the bridge to a junction box on the unlisted part of the north-west wall of Red Lion Lawn.
The lights would display a warm white 2700k light for the majority of the year and be dimmed down to the light levels of adjacent buildings.
The power requirement is 2,787KWh per year, which equates to around £1.15 per night or nominally £420 per year.
Make Henley Shine wants to hold an annual competition with local schools to come up with a lighting design to be in place for five nights a year.
It is proposing four separate weeks of five nights, spread throughout the year to mark key events, such as Henley Royal Regatta, the Henley Festival and the Henley Literary Festival.
It also favours a “limited number” of single events during the year, such as to show support for Ukraine.
Mr Jackson said: “The longer-term goal of the installation is to bring a focus on a sustainable, integrated lighting strategy for the town and specifically for the group of townscape buildings that form the setting for the bridge.
“As the drive towards sustainability proceeds and old inefficient lighting is replaced, the aim would be to get lights to be of similar lighting intensity and colour experience.
“The product is manufactured in a plant powered by 100 per cent renewable energy. The fittings themselves have a 25-year lifespan and at 20 years would still operate at 90 per cent efficiency.
“We have been working with a specialist lighting installer called Intellilight, which has a good working relationship with the lighting supplier Signify and knows the product well.
“Intellilight also has specific relevant experience of fitting sustainable lighting to Grade I listed buildings, having installed lights to the Brighton Pavilion and the Liver Building in Liverpool.
“As part of the proposal, Intellilight would remove the redundant floodlighting and all redundant cabling from the bridge.
“Installation would be undertaken from the river with the infrastructure provided by the same team that sets up the Henley Royal Regatta course and he Henley Festival floating stage.
“During the installation, we propose to invite the county council’s maintenance team to use the same infrastructure to remove plants and detritus that are currently affecting the stonework.”
• What do you think? Write to: Letters, Henley Standard, Caxton House, 1 Station Road, Henley or email letters@henleystandard.co.uk
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