Towneley Hall set to be bathed in light

Historic Townley Hall is about to see itself in lights thanks to an exciting project involving local people.
Towneley Hall lit up in 1961Towneley Hall lit up in 1961
Towneley Hall lit up in 1961

Members of the public are invited to come along to Towneley on Friday February 28th at 6-15pm (for a 6-30pm switch on) to watch the official switch-on ceremony.

The new lighting scheme uses innovative technology to highlight the historic features within the architecture of the hall and its façade. It can be controlled remotely using a smartphone app to change the colour of the light, beam angles and more.

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The lights will be switched on between 6pm-8pm each evening for two weeks. After that it will be lit up for special events to help minimise the impact of the lighting on wildlife such as bats, and to reduce energy consumption.

The £11,000 project has been jointly funded by the Friends of Towneley Park, the Towneley Hall Society and Burnley Council, with the intention of drawing more visitors to the hall and promoting special events to publicise the wonderful opportunities that exist at Towneley.

The high-tech spotlight system was designed and manufactured by Barrowford-based lighting specialist acdc which has completed major projects across the world including Dubai Creek Golf Club, Bayern Munich’s stadium, the GPO building in Sydney and Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden.

The groundwork has been completed by council staff, with installation by Padiham-based electrical company Thompson Wills.

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Burnley College students are also getting involved by photographing the lighting and its effects on the landmark building. They’ll be entering their images into a competition run by acdc and submissions will then hopefully be displayed in the hall later in the year.

Coun. Ivor Emo, the council’s executive member for housing and leisure, said: “This is a wonderful idea. Towneley Hall draws in thousands of visitors a year because it is one of the most beautiful and historically interesting buildings in Lancashire.

“This exciting, imaginative project will bathe Towneley in a new light that will bring out its best architectural features and make you look at the hall in a completely different way.

“I’d like to thank the Friends and members of the Towneley Hall Society for their help and support in making this scheme come to life.”

Towneley Hall was lit by floodlights in 1961 to mark the Centenary of the Granting of the Charter of Incorporation for the borough of Burnley.