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Malvern Priory
Parish Office,
Church Street,
MALVERN
WR14 2AY

Tel: 01684 561020

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Malvern Priory Lighting Appeal.

History

The Benedictine monks at the Priory, founded in 1085, began their day at midnight with the service now known as Matins, followed by a service at 3am known as Lauds. The building would have been largely in darkness, perhaps with oil lamps at corners and steps, so the monks were expected to memorize the services.

The daily pattern of worship and work also included evening services which in the winter months were again said in near darkness.

In the 14th century wax candles were invented and it became easier to provide improved lighting in key areas, perhaps in the sanctuary.

This pattern of life in the Priory continued for over four hundred and fifty years until the building became a parish church in 1539.

Although the use of the building changed at this point the lighting remained by means of oil lamps and candles for a further three hundred years.

However, some of the wealth generated by the industrial revolution came to Malvern with the Malvern Gas Works being opened in 1856. By 1861 gas lighting had been installed in the Priory and after more than seven hundred and fifty years of oil lamps and candles, a reasonable amount of light was available in the Priory. What excitement there must have been!

Yet by 1904 the Vicar was writing "I hope the time is not far off when the Priory may be lighted by electricity. The shocking atmosphere at our Sunday evening service is the cause of many a sleepy sermon and sleepy congregation."

And so in 1906 the Priory became one of the first buildings in the town to have electric lighting installed. Photographs taken in 1910 show opal glass pendant fittings throughout the building. (The photographs also show the Priory chairs, only recently replaced).

The present lighting installation was completed in 1962 and while a considerable improvement on the earlier lighting, by today's standards it is now inefficient and ineffective.

Use of the Priory

The use of the Priory is continually changing with many forms of worship being used regularly. Book of Common Prayer services are held as well as more modern services, while informal altogether worship is held "in the round".

The Priory is regularly used by local schools and colleges for services and concerts and for outreach events such as Lifepath when over six hundred children participate during one week in June. Many civic events take place in and around the Priory. In addition a variety of musical concerts, lectures and other events attract audiences from a wide area.

While most of these activities are adequately lit on bright days, at other times the drama, understanding and appreciation of the occasion is diminished or lost because of the inadequate Priory lighting.

A growing number of visitors come to the Priory to view and understand the nine hundred and twenty-six years of history represented in the building, and to glimpse life in a Benedictine Priory and a Parish Church through the ages. Special Welcome Days are held in the Priory or the Priory grounds and Welcomers and tour guides are available. Much of the value of a visit to the Priory is lost when it is not possible to see the splendid interior of the building properly.

Temporary lighting is sometimes brought into the Priory to provide adequate illumination for a concert or event but this is expensive and poses various health and safety issues.

The lighting proposal

When the PCC appointed a project team to investigate the requirements for and feasibility of a new lighting installation for the Priory, it was decided to include all the major stakeholders- the congregation, Diocesan Advisory Committee, and English Heritage in the design process.

The project team began by defining the lighting requirements for the many activities that take place in the Priory and visiting other churches to see how similar activities were illuminated. Lighting contractors were invited to make proposals for satisfying the defined lighting requirements. The expanded project team then produced a design for the new lighting installation taking into account the best advice from everyone involved.

The new installation consists of two separate elements-

• to provide appropriate levels of illumination for the activities of the many and varied users of the Priory, and

• to enhance the beauty and heritage displayed by the Priory building.

The new installation will be energy efficient and it is an objective to increase the illumination while not increasing the energy consumption.

Where they are visible, the new light fittings will complement the different building styles in the Priory, while others will be placed discreetly so as not to interrupt the splendid internal views.

All the approvals for the proposed lighting scheme have now been received and the Chancellor has granted a faculty for the work to proceed.

The estimated cost of the proposed new lighting, together with some essential renewal and adjustment to other parts of the Priory electrical installation, is £150,000. A Priory Lighting Appeal Fund has been established to raise this sum in order that the new installation can be commenced.

The appeal

You can help individually or as part of a group to

By making a donation. Individual donations by cash or cheque should be placed in an envelope marked “Lighting Fund” with a note saying the donation is gift-aidable if appropriate.

By setting up a bank Standing Order to pay a set amount directly into the Priory bank account for 12 or 24 months. The full value of Standing Orders will be taken into account by the PCC in authorising the work and orders should therefore be continued for their full duration even if the work has been completed. Please ask for a Standing Order form and place in an envelope marked “Lighting Fund” and indicate whether the donations are gift-aidable.

By sponsoring some of the materials needed. As you make your donation or Standing Order, please consider sponsoring specific materials or fittings. See the “Shopping List” to see what your donation could buy, indicate your choice when you make your donation.

By organise a fund raising event yourself or with your friends, and do your best to support events organised by others. If you have an idea for an event or would like to help organise an event, please contact the Priory Office.

Gift Aid. Any donation, cheque, standing order, or sponsorship may be gift-aided. Please indicate whether this is appropriate to you.

Appropriate forms for Gift Aid and Standing orders can be obtained from the Priory or alternatively will be sent to you upon receipt of your donation. Cheques should be payable to ‘Great Malvern Priory – P.C.C.’ and placed in an envelope marked ‘Lighting Fund’. Please put donations in a Sunday collection, place it in the donation chest, give it to the Custos, or take or send it to Malvern Priory Parish Office, Church St, Malvern, WR14 2AY.

Record of Donations

If you wish, your name can be recorded in a book of Donors. If your donation is to be made in memory of a loved one, this can also be recorded in a separate section of the book.

The Parish Office is the first point of contact for any further information:

Malvern Priory Parish Office, Church Street, Malvern WR14 2AY

Tel: 01684 561020             e-mail off...@greatmalvernpriory.org.uk

Or contact Michael or Eileen Angling

Tel: 01684 573732             e-mail: mich...@anglings.com

Watch for further information about the new lighting and think how you can
                           help to LIGHT UP THE PRIORY.