Auckland Castle

Lead Designers Mark Sutton-Vane

Entry Description

Auckland Castle in Durham. Aim to restore historic buildings for the town. HLF funded scheme.

SVA designed the lighting for the historic spaces. Reproduction Argand lights, precise copies from Abbotsford House add light to rooms with decorated ceilings, by secret luminaires concealed in the oil reserves. In other rooms new fittings inspired by historic forms were also designed. Some of the lighting can be seen on https://www.aucklandproject.org/. World class paintings are lit with specially designed picture lights that fit in with the historic atmosphere as well as giving flexible and well controlled light to the paintings. Period lights, across centuries, were restored or re-created to reveal the history.

The Throne Room is returned to its Georgian gothic splendour as designed by the celebrated architect, James Wyatt. To add light into this large room, as required by modern eyes, fibre optic lights sneak light down through existing tiny holes in the ceiling, max 30mm diameter, not allowed to be enlarged as they are in historic architecture.

The scheme is very popular with visitors. It has added a new high-profile destination to the North East of England.