Bath Abbey Footprint Project | UK

Lighting Design Enhancing Bath Abbey’s Architectural Features

The new lighting design reveals and celebrates the Abbey’s unique architectural features. It also provides flexible scenes for various services and events. The warm, white light creates an inviting, intimate ambience, highlighting the Abbey’s status as a place of worship. At the same time, the lighting can create impactful, dramatic scenes for events. The Abbey will use these settings for many years to come.

Precision Lighting for Architectural Detail

High-level lighting below the clerestory windows highlights the crowns and delicate profiles of the fan vaulting, for which the Abbey is famous. Mid-level lights reveal the fine Bath Stone forms of the perpendicular gothic window tracery and the vaults of the side aisles. Additional luminaires in the side aisles and transepts illuminate the numerous Georgian wall memorials. These also highlight the tombs of Lady Jane Waller and Bishop James Montague.

Energy-Efficient LED Lighting Solutions with Flexible DMX Control

The cast iron Victorian chandeliers have been adapted to incorporate new, low-energy LED luminaires. This upgrade not only enhances the lighting design but also improves energy efficiency, ensuring long-term sustainability.

The entire lighting system has been upgraded to a new DMX lighting control system. This allows each LED lamp to be individually controlled. As a result, it offers infinite flexibility and the opportunity to animate lighting during services or special events.

FCBStudios’ Restoration and Sustainable Upgrades

FCBStudios led efforts to stabilise the subsiding floor. This involved an extensive programme of archaeology and the installation of a sustainable hot spa water-powered underfloor heating system. They also documented, repaired, and relaid the 2,400 stones in the floor, including nearly 900 ledger stones.

New Spaces for Interpretation and Community Use

Phase two of the project focused on the Vaults and adjoining Kingston Buildings, which include a new interpretation centre, song school, and learning spaces for events and community use. The introduction of the Vaults provides cohesive, unified infrastructure, transforming the Abbey’s operations. This has enabled over 400,000 visitors each year to experience and learn more about the Abbey’s rich history and its people.

“After so many years of work on the Abbey Footprint project, and so much being hidden behind the scenes, it is being revealed at last. We’re pleased that local residents, visitors, and our regular congregation share our delight in seeing Bath Abbey greatly enhanced. With the ancient floor now fully restored, and new lighting and eco heating system installed, the beauty of our renewed worship space is already over-whelming. We are beginning to see the fruits of all the amazing vision, prayer, planning, generosity and skilled hard work poured into resourcing the future of the Abbey and its ministry.”

Revd Canon Guy Bridgewater, Rector of Bath Abbey

 “The completion of this work is a spectacular moment, which prepares Bath Abbey for the next 100 years. The project enhances the significance of the Abbey, whilst also creating a more flexible building with better facilities. This allows the Abbey to better serve the congregation, the city of Bath and the many visitors to the UNESCO World Heritage site.”

Alex Morris, Associate, Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

This project is featured in the articles below

The RIBA Journal  | RIBA | ArchDaily | Church Times | Wessex Archaeology  |  BBC  

Building Design  |  Architecture Today  |  The RIBA Journal