The Collegiate Church of The Holy Cross and the Mother of Him Who Hung Thereon, Crediton

The Collegiate Church of the Holy cross and the Mother of Him Who Hung Thereon in Crediton is a building on a scale befitting what was (much earlier) a cathedral town and the birth-place of St. Boniface. The present building is mainly 15th century; a collegiate church of cruciform plan with a central tower. After neglect and degradation in the 18th century it was repaired an d restored in the 19th century by John Hayward who was one of the leading regional Victorian architects.

In 1547 the Collegiate Church was dissolved by Henry VIII and the building was sold for £200 to the townspeople of Crediton, and a corporation of 12 governors were appointed to act as trustees on their behalf. Their successors continue to be responsible for the fabric rather than the Parochial Church Council... a situation  shared by only two other churches in England.

The lighting system in 2010 was old and dysfunctional – sections of the wiring had been condemned and disconnected and most church events were held in an atmosphere of Stygian gloom. The fittings inside the church were crude and intrusive, and the lighting effects possible were basic in the extreme.

This is a building which – spatially and in terms of use – lends itself to a sensitive lighting scheme which both lights the activities and enhances the architecture. The opportunity clearly existed for such a system to also provide drama and flexibility.

After considering several candidates, the Governors appointed Anthony J. Smith (Gloucester) Ltd to prepare designs and, following the granting of faculty approval, to carry out the work. The faculty application prepared by the parish and contractor was particularly commended by the Diocese as a clear and concise application. A contract administered on behalf of the Governors by architect John Scott of Oliver West & John Scott Architects was commenced in January 2011, and a first phase completed in the summer. All of the lighting to body of the church has been replaced together with the power circuits, ancillary electrics and the external lighting. A further phase of work to the remaining parts of the building – chapter house, parvise, vestries, tower, etc, will be completed in early 2012.

The challenge presented by the building fabric was considerable. The building is faced in ashlar stonework in local volcanic stone of a delicate pink colour both inside and out, and the organisation of cable runs to achieve minimum visibility and minimum intervention into historic fabric has been a major consideration. Careful positioning of cables, together with painting of both fittings and visible cables by the electrical contractor, has resulted in a very discreet and sensitive installation. Resolution of these difficulties has been a collaborative effort between contractor, architect and church representatives.

Whilst the vast majority of the work has been electrical other trades have been essential to its success. Stonemason Andy French has carried out repairs – largely to damaged caused by the installation of the old system which would now be addressed – and other attendance. Leadworker Phil Martin has similarly attended to roof penetrations and fixings.

External lighting has utilised the fine wrought iron brackets that already existed. These have been repaired, altered and replicated by local artistic blacksmith Simon Ridley who has also fabricated fine new lanterns for all of them to the architect’s design.

The result is a flexible, effective and dramatic lighting system of uplighting, downlighting and accent lighting to enhance both architectural features and liturgical activities.

In the nave and choir the fittings are mounted in the clerestory window embrasures. Pendants in the aisles can be dimmed to provide a low level of background illumination contrasting with dramatic effects elsewhere. Among the features now lit are the memorial to Sir Redvers Buller on the east wall of the nave designed by W.D. Caroe, the reredos by G. Fellowes-Prynne and the organ. The fine 19th century timber roofs by Hayward are also lit to great effect. Energy efficient fittings have been used throughout. The contract value of over £130,000 has been raised by the church community through fundraising, events and some grants. The new external lighting was supported by the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers.

Church representatives Bill Jerman and John Wakefield have worked closely with Neil Blake of Anthony J. Smith (Glos) Ltd, architect John Scott, and not least with Anthony J. Smith (Glos) Ltd operatives, Dave Petford and Eddie McFarland who carried out all of the electrical work.

Church spokesman, Bill Jerman said: “The new lighting scheme, designed and installed by Anthony J. Smith (Gloucester) Ltd, has been a much needed significant improvement. The completed parts of the scheme are already a huge benefit to all users of the building and have provided, in particular, an energy efficient, flexible and quality lighting scheme. Throughout the project everyone from Anthony J. Smith (Gloucester) Ltd has shown much empathy and understanding for the building and its environment and they have managed to keep the inevitable disruption to an absolute minimum. They regularly had to co-ordinate parts of the work with other specialist contractors (artistic blacksmith, carpenter, plumber and stonemason) – all of whom were local to the Crediton area – to be able to complete elements of the project. Excellent working relationships and communication channels with everyone were established and maintained from the outset”.

• Anthony J. Smith (Gloucester) Ltd The team at Anthony J Smith (Glos) Ltd have been re-lighting Churches of all sizes and denominations for well over thirty years. They offer a complete service from initial consultation through demonstrations, presentations, installations and beyond. There is no substitute for experience when dealing with these most important buildings and a good design is only half of the brief. A sensitive installation of cabling is also of utmost importance as many Church interiors are spoilt by an untidy installation of cabling. We are well placed to help all Churches with their lighting and electrical needs.

Anthony J. Smith (Gloucester) Ltd will be at the Christian Resources Exhibition North which takes place at EventCity on 10-11 October. Their stand Number is P14.

For more information about Anthony J. Smith (Gloucester) Ltd visit www.anthonyjsmith.co.uk