The Thames Tideway infrastructure project is being complemented by significant heritage lighting restoration, refurbishment and preservation along London’s Victoria Embankment.
By Paul Murphy
The Thames Tideway Tunnel is a massive, £4.6bn infrastructure project designed to modernise London’s ageing sewer network.
As part of that overarching project, several sites along the Thames have been expanded to accommodate the additional infrastructure required for the tunnel.
In the process, this has been creating much-needed new riverside public spaces and – of most importance to this journal – prompting upgrades to existing lighting assets.
In two of these spaces, Tyburn Quay and Bazalgette Embankment, we have supported the work to upgrade the heritage street lighting that has been delivered for Transport for London (TfL) and the City of London Corporation respectively.
The schemes form part of Tideway Central, led by FLO Joint Venture, with FM Conway and consultant WSP among the wider project team.
The project comprised, at Tyburn Quay, four red/gold columns with brackets, with the majority of work taking place during 2024. For Bazalgette Embankment, it was seven globe luminaires, with this work taking place last year.
In more detail, the road running alongside Tyburn Quay is lined with a mix of original Grade II-listed cast column bases and a number of later replicas.
Dating from 1900, the original bases feature dolphins, floral detailing and representations of Britannia. The project required the lighting installation to be upgraded yet, of course, also preserving these historic bases was an important part of the brief.
CAREFUL TRANSPORTATION
Each casting was therefore removed from site and transported to our factory in Hertfordshire, where our specialist restoration team repaired and repainted the decorative finishes in their distinctive combination of black, red and gold.
New reinforced steel columns were designed to retain the proportions and appearance of the originals installed. These were completed with traditional scroll brackets and finials finished in a custom gold paint to complement the decorative elements on the bases.
Strand lanterns were then fitted as a like-for-like replacement for the previous luminaires, preserving the familiar appearance of the lighting.
The lanterns, naturally, are LED and have Zhaga sockets fitted. This future-proofs the installation by allowing CMS nodes to be added should TfL wish adopt a CMS at a later date.
Once the work was complete, we worked alongside FM Conway to transport the restored column bases back to site and assist with their reinstallation, helping to minimise handling and protect these important heritage assets.
STURGEON LAMPPOST
At Bazalgette Embankment, the project team faced a different heritage challenge. The existing lighting featured George Vulliamy’s iconic dolphin pedestal design, better known to many as the ‘Sturgeon lamppost’.
These were originally created for the Victorian Embankment works and are now one of the riverside’s most recognisable features. While the sculptural bases and cradles were retained for their architectural and historic significance, the globe lanterns above required replacement.
We were therefore tasked with recreating the original appearance while developing a completely new internal lighting system. The solution needed to deliver modern performance, improved control and easier maintenance without detracting from the character of the historic installation.
The age of the cradles made this particularly challenging. Created using historic manufacturing methods and exposed to decades of weathering, the individual structures varied significantly in dimension and condition.
Working, therefore, with specialist installer London and Kent, we developed an adjustable mounting system that allowed each new globe lantern to be fitted securely within its existing cradle. Inside the recreated globe, two separate LED systems perform distinct roles.
A CoB LED provides the principal downward illumination, with a rear shield helping to reduce light spill back towards the Thames. A second light source then softly illuminates the upper section and opal lid, preserving the characteristic glow and visual presence of the original globe.
Specified at 2700K, the new lighting produces a warm appearance suited to the historic riverside setting. We have integrated Urban Control’s CMS technology within the globe, with the antenna concealed inside the fitting so that the external appearance remained unchanged.
Reflecting on the challenges, the key takeaway was the high degree of coordination required both internally at DW Windsor and with the stakeholders at Tideway, the local authorities, contractors and WSP.
The use of steel core technology married with utilisation of the original castings integrated to new columns and brackets is something we are proud of. The globe lanterns used latest specification LED with riverside shielding and 2700k to match the wider ‘Illuminated River’ strategy for the Thames.
Alongside this we are proud of the fact the CMS was so discreetly fitted within the globe housing, plus that the Strand lanterns have been fitted with Zhaga PEC technology to provide a future-proof solution for a later CMS upgrade.
In conclusion, both Tyburn Quay and Bazalgette Embankment highlight the importance of balancing heritage preservation with modern lighting requirements.
By retaining significant original fea tures wherever possible and replacing only those elements requiring renewal, the schemes preserve the established character of Victoria Embankment while introducing improved perfor mance and control.
Paul Murphy is key account director at DW Windsor
This is an abridged version of the article that appears in the October edition of Lighting Journal. To read the full article, simply click on the page-turner to your right.
