Four new heritage street lights have been installed in Kendal.
The dark skies compliant lights, on Thorny Hills, are the result of a partnership between residents, Westmorland and Furness Council’s lighting team and Friends of the Lake District’s Dark Skies Cumbria project.
Thorny Hills is a street of Georgian terraced listed buildings in the Kendal Conservation Area, which celebrated its bicentenary in 2024.
The lane in front of the terrace is used by residents for parking, and is an important pedestrian route for many different users throughout the day and evening.
After seeing the successful Cliff Terrace dark skies friendly lighting scheme, Thorny Hills residents Malcom Whiteside and Peter Kuit, approached Friends of the Lake District to see if the lane’s current lights could be enhanced to celebrate the bicentenary.
Two of the existing lights were modern galvanised standard columns, one with vehicle damage, and the other two heritage lanterns weren’t dark sky compliant, and cast light into the windows the homes behind and up into the mature beech trees opposite.
The new replacement lights are restored cast iron, traditional heritage columns, originally made in the Whitehaven Foundry. They were refurbished and repainted at Gilmour Engineering & Industrial Services in Barrow.
The new lanterns are modern heritage style with a light beam focused downward onto the road surface, preventing light pollution up into the night sky.
The colour temperature of the lights is 2,700 Kelvin, with an amber coloration, which is more comfortable on people’s eyes.
The new lights also dim by 50% from 9pm until 6am, cutting electricity consumption, reducing carbon emissions and reducing their impact on night time wildlife, such as bats and insects.
Architect and resident Roger Haigh said: “The renovated lampposts on Thorny Hills reinstate the character and detail of the Georgian era, giving elegance to the street and houses. Well done to all concerned for making it happen.”
Anna and Gavin Haworth, said: “Numerous passers-by have commented positively on them. We love the fact that they are energy-efficient and dark sky friendly, while still casting sufficient light onto the street for pedestrian and road users.
“Even though we have a lamppost positioned right outside the house, the design does not cast any significant light into our property, unlike previous modern lampposts.”
