Intelligent Lighting in Norwich Cathedral | Lutron

For centuries, the imposing spaces and historic details of Norwich Cathedral have instilled in visitors a sense of wonder and awe. But a lighting system with tungsten and halogen lamps and their old-fashioned switching controls began to affect the experience. Could a new lighting project restore it?

Award-winning lighting design studio Speirs Major undertook the lighting renovation, working in collaboration with the Lutron team. The project covered all the interior spaces of the cathedral, which included the nave, aisles, choir, transept, chancel, ambulatory, six chapels, two auxiliary rooms, and a historic library.

The new luminaires bathe the limestone walls in light, creating a warm ethereal glow and highlighting the liturgical elements - altars, lecterns and fountains - and other objects of cultural importance present throughout the church. The soft upward lighting expresses the lofty spaces and sculptural forms of the vaulted ceiling.

In the choir, modern candlelight fixtures and complementary ambient lighting illuminate the 15th-century oak misericords, while another lighting element enhances the presence of the carved wood of the choir stalls. The new luminaires also frame the stained glass windows, allowing the crystals to be admired even on a sunny day.