War memorials are often forgotten corners of our public places, but events of the last few years have perhaps reminded us of past sacrifices as well as the present. As part of its general programme, Walsall Borough Council's Urban Environmental Regeneration Group have recently refurbished the Darlaston War Memorial Garden, including installing WRTL Exterior Lighting's Trento Coolglass in-ground uplighters to provide effective illumination of the memorial after dark.The installation uses 3 adjustable 35W CDM-T narrow beam Trento Coolglass uplighters to provide directional lighting and 2 asymmetric 70W uplighters to provide a broader wash effect. A time switch controls its operation to switch on between dusk and dawn.
Elisabeth Thomas, Lighting Engineer for Walsall BC's Lighting Department, commented: "The original source of illumination was a single, mast mounted floodlight. We trialled several different lanterns to ensure we had the most sympathetic effect for the memorial and the surrounding trees, with very tight control of light spillage. We found that the WRTL Coolglass was ideal for the lighting and for a safe installation."
Chris Brown, Principal Landscape Architect and part of the Urban Environmental Regeneration Group commented: "The Darlaston Memorial was originally installed as a World War 1 memorial in 1926, in a corner of the larger Victoria Park which was laid out in the 1880s. The memorial is a typical bronze and marble construction, with additional panels from WW2 in 1949."
"As a group, we seek funding for regeneration projects from sources such as English Heritage and Lottery funding, and this somewhat neglected memorial garden was a worthy example. We were able to polish and clean up the stone and bronze, replace the paving slabs and replace some of the plantings. Providing more sympathetic lighting added the final element."
The modular design of the WRTL Trento Coolglass uplighters include a comprehensive selection of adjustable reflectors offering different distributions, housed within a durable, cast bronze body. The surface temperature of the lens is less than 65°C, making it safe to touch, and the lantern has IP68 environmental protection, for full reliability. The glass and body are designed to withstand up to 2000kg pressure and are corrosion resistant and connections are fully sealed.
