Evesham Lighting Project Proposal

Presentation to

Evesham Town Council

16th. October 2019

The Concept

Wychavon Partners Together Event focussing on Culture, identified an ambition for a

lighting themed installation in Evesham;

Evesham Town Plan identified an ambition to:

• Provide a high quality visitor experience centred on the Abbey Site

• Enhance the town’s built heritage

• Reveal and promote the town’s history and heritage

• Encourage families to visit the town in the evenings

• Improve and raise the profile of the Almonry Museum

• Improve the look of historic buildings in our conservation areas

• Improve the quality of the public realm

Architectural Conservation officers advise Abbey Park has one of the greatest

concentrations of Grade 1 and Grade 2* listed buildings.

Jenny Davis (Wychavon Arts Officer) commissioned architectural lighting specialists

SDNA to develop a costed strategy for achieving these ambitions following site visits to

comparable installations.

SDNA Proposed a trail of illuminated historic buildings and

features which could become a visitor attraction to support an

evening economy

Proposed trail

Almonry Museum

St Laurence’s Church

All Saints Church

Bell Tower

Abbey Gardens

War Memorial

River Avon (existing)

River Avon

Installed as part of

2007 Flood

Recovery grant.

Maintained by

Wychavon District

Council

Attractive feature

which gives a sense

of what can be

achieved.

Suggested Intervention

None – already installed

The War MemorialLocated between the

riverside and the Bell

Tower.

It was illuminated

temporarily in August

2014 as part of the ‘Lights

Out’ project in

commemoration of those

who died during the First

World War .

The event was very

successful both in marking

the occasion and

demonstrating the impact

of creative lighting.

Suggested Intervention

Simple lighting using floor mounted or subterranean uplights.

Completed

The Bell TowerIs located between the War Memorial and St Lawrence’s Church.

It’s a landmark building highly visible from a distance.

The tower has benefited from being illuminated but the existing infrastructure no longer fit for purpose and needs replacing.

The proposed new lights are 3 column lights plus one wall light on All Saints Church

Suggested Intervention

Improved lamp units, LED with the potential to change colour. New columns and cabling.

Completed

All Saints ChurchIs Evesham’s parish

Church.

It’s located between

the Bell Tower and St

Lawrence’s Church.

At present All Saint’s is

not lit and its visibility

at night could be

greatly improved.

Suggested Interventions

Lighting the façade;

Projection onto the façade; and

Interior lighting of the stained glass making it visible at night.

Estimated installation cost = £52,785

St Laurence’s Church

Cared for by The

Churches Conservation

Trust, St Laurence’s is

open to the public as an

historic building.

Remarkable features are

the fine stained glass

windows by Frederick

Preedy and several other

significant artists.

The church is a

prominent feature of the

churchyard and parkland

in front of the Bell Tower.

Facing the high street it is

well situated to attract the

attention of passers by.

Suggested Interventions

Lighting the façade;

Video installation on the clear west window; and

Interior lighting of the stained glass making it visible at night.

Estimated installation cost = £56,120

St Laurence’s Church

Artist’s impression of lighting façade and

projection on blank west windows

The Almonry Museum

This 14th Century

building was once

home to the Almoner

of the Benedictine

Abbey founded in

Evesham in the 8th

Century.

Today the Almonry

houses an eclectic

collection that spans

the prehistoric to the

20th Century.

The Museum is

highly visible to foot

and vehicular traffic

on Vine Street.

Suggested Interventions

Video installation mapped onto the facade.

The visual content could be created using elements from the

Museum’s collection linked to historical anecdotes.

Completed

Viewing seat

LEGEND

Pedestrian

Exit

Sep-15

Disabled

ramp &

steps to

Nave

DRAFT CONCEPT FOR DEVELOPMENT

Zone for

temporary

exhibitions

Entrance to Cloisters

Disabled

Parking

Abbey

Road

Access

History zone

The Abbey Gardens Restoration Project

The Evesham Abbey Gardens scheme aims to explore the archaeology of the site, to create new garden spaces as a public amenity and create a heritage tourist attraction in the historic heart of Evesham.

In combination with other local heritage and tourist attractions, this scheme aims to increase the tourist profile and appeal of Evesham.

Suggested Interventions

Install lighting using floor or

subterranean flood lights onto

existing wall and archway

structures.

Estimated installation cost = £25,123

Community Engagement Programme

Art workshops/events culminating in a series of events and exhibitions celebrating Evesham’s vibrancy and history

Examples of groups to be targeted:

• Schools / youth groups• Evesham based interest groups such as artistic and

historical• Older people’s group• Local artists

Timescale to tie in with project phasing to include event planning, workshops and final events.

Workshop outcomes to include:

• Create new artworks whilst learning about Evesham’s heritage

• Articulate reflections on Evesham's history• Lead artists take inspiration from the community artworks• Stories, memories and reflections on Evesham’s past and

present on a Geo Locations Immersive Mobile App• Artworks can be showcased in evolving exhibition

Estimated cost £35,125

Maintenance and other Considerations

New infrastructure, including that replacing old infrastructure will have lower

maintenance and running costs

Wychavon District Council and Evesham Town Council have agreed to maintain

infrastructure on land in their control

Church installation maintenance costs are difficult to quantify at this stage, however,

both organisations have stated they cannot accept any additional costs over and

above what is already incurred.

Permissions

This will be complex given the historic status of the sites and buildings involved a

budget of £3,000 has been allocated to secure permissions

Contingency

Due to the inevitable level of uncertainty given the challenges of working in such

sensitive areas a contingency allowance of 5% has been included in the project

costings.

Progress to date

2016 – Wychavon District Council agrees to contribute officer time to develop a project. Jenny Davis (WDC Arts Development Officer) commissioned Evesham lighting installation feasibility study on the back of Evesham Town Plan and Wychavon Partners Together Event outcomes.

January 2017 – Feasibility study proposes artistic lighting features using Evesham’s historic buildings as a back drop. Estimated total project cost c£259,300.

7th February – Preliminary meeting with stakeholders representing the locations concerned plus reps from Evesham Town Council and Wychavon District Council to test reaction.

March 2017 – Cllr John Smith commits £3,000 towards the project from his County Council member delegated budget.

April 2017 – £50,000 of S106 funding from M&S Pot was secured. A further £28,500 of Art S106 funding is committed to the project. Creating an initial project fund of £78,500 meaning the project has ‘legs’.

June 2017 – Contractors invited to tender on Bell Tower installation (due to urgent H&S concerns), Cllr Robert Banks offers his support to the project (amount tbc).

The scale and complexity of the project means a phased approach to delivery is a sensible way forward. The scheme can be delivered in three phases:

A phased approach

Estimated capital cost for all proposal

Phase 1 – The Almonry & Bell Tower

The Bell Tower Lighting ----------------- £22,500

The Almonry Projection ----------------- £35,000

Community Engagement (inc comms) £15,125

Permissions -------------------------------- £3,000

Contingency 5% -------------------------- £2,875

Total ----------------------------------------- £78,500

Phase 2 – All Saints and The War Memorial

All Saints Church ------------------------- £52,785

The War Memorial ------------------------ £18,170

Community Engagement --------------- £10,000

Contingency 5% --------------------------- £4,048

Total ----------------------------------------- £85,003

Phase 3 – St Lawrence's and The Abbey Gardens

St Laurence’s ------------------------------ £56,120

The Abbey Gardens ---------------------- £25,123

Community Engagement --------------- £10,000

Contingency 5% --------------------------- £4,563

Total ----------------------------------------- £95,806

Total £259,309

Confirmed Funding Sources

Section 106 M&S £50,000

Section 106 Arts £28,500

Cllr John Smith WCC Divisional fund £3,000

Cllr Robert Banks WCC Divisional fund tbc

Total £81,500

The funding secured to date will enable the completion of Phase 1.

An Arts Council Grant can potentially contribute a further £27,800, however, £150,000 still needs to be secured to complete the project.

Would Evesham Town Council be willing to financially support this project through committing a proportion of Evesham’s New Homes Bonus allocation and/or from its reserves?