New lanterns replicate early 20th century gasoliers

(l-r) One of the lanterns in its original state; the project in progress; one of the lanterns being painted; and the completed look

[LEDSTON HALL is a Grade One-listed manor house close to Leeds, with a rich history going back to the 11th century. It sits in 3,000 acres of beautiful gardens and parkland.

The property’s owners, The Wheler Foundation, commissioned TGA Consulting Engineers to form part of a project team led by Purcell Architects to repair and conserve the building’s historic fabric. It included redevelopment of part of the property into houses and apartments alongside the retention of some of the principal rooms, including the 12th-century chapel.

Ledston’s east entrance has an impressive stone staircase that is flanked on each side by iron lanterns. It is thought that the lanterns were manufactured in the early 1900s as gasoliers and mounted on oak posts. Over time they had deteriorated so that they no longer added to the imposing doorway in the way that they were intended.

Following a consultation between TGA's specialist lighting designer James Davison and Darren Renforth of specialist heritage lighting manufacturer Dernier & Hamlyn, it was decided to replicate the lanterns. The aim was to produce exact copies of the existing lanterns while improving the light levels by using modern and efficient LED technology.

Having talked through the requirements with Dernier & Hamlyn’s team of artisan makers and designers, drawings were produced in Dernier & Hamlyn’s studio and presented to TGA. The new six-metre-high lanterns were made in steel, finished in a black RAL colour and fitted with curved glass. Not only does that mean they will not rust, but they were also lighter and therefore easier to mount on the wooden posts.

To deliver the special lanterns from Dernier & Hamlyn’s Surrey factory to West Yorkshire required specialist handling to ensure they arrived in perfect condition, so the team built specialist wooden cradles.

Dernier & Hamlyn’s head of production Mark Pye commented: “We are often asked to replicate heritage light fittings. Our extensive lighting archive provides invaluable reference material and to be able to reinterpret history to make it better than ever is very rewarding.” q