St. Bride’s Church--often known as the ‘journalists church’ due to its location on London’s famous Fleet Street--has taken delivery of some 50 ETC Source Four® fixtures as part of a refurbishment to replace worn-out lighting at the revered house of worship.
Designed in 1672 by Sir Christopher Wren, the current St. Bride’s replaced a smaller church of the same name destroyed in the 1666 Great Fire of London. The 234-foot spire, added in 1701, was the tallest ever designed by Wren and was supposed to withstand both lightning and war. The tower’s shape, which looks like three tiers, has led to it being dubbed the Wedding Cake Church. Due to its location on Fleet Street, it has long had a traditional link with British journalists and newspaper owners, who paid for it to be rebuilt after it was gutted by incendiary bombs dropped by the Luftwaffe in 1940.
Since then, St. Bride’s has acquired a reputation as not only a place of worship for traditional services, but also for concerts and carol singing—a CD of a performance by the choir was recently given away with the London Sunday Express newspaper.
When Bruce Kirk, a consultant who specializes in the design ofecclesiastical installations, was charged with upgrading the St. Bride’s 1980’s installation, he knew ETC’s Source Four fixtures would fit the bill. “I’ve specified Source Fours in a number of my installations, as they have a wide range of lenses and are very reliable,” he explains. “They are able to outperform the previous luminaires and can fit into the same space. They needed to be hidden in a trough and to up-light the ceiling from there, in order to comply with stringent regulations. The Source Fours are used as a discreet indirect light source for all the singing events as well as general church services.”
“Working on a Grade I-listed building means we need to be very careful about what we install and where. It can be a challenge to make sure wires and fixtures are not visible yet still provide the best possible lighting. Generally, we’re not allowed to touch the fabric of the building.”