Lighting up Hadrian's Wall
Last updated at 13:26, Tuesday, 24 November 2009
DETAILED plans to illuminate England from coast to coast along the line of Hadrian’s Wall next spring have been revealed.
The man behind London 2012’s impressive eight-minute handover ceremony at the Beijing Olympics last year will produce the ambitious project – ‘Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall’.
Billed as a once-in-a-lifetime event, the March 13 illumination will form part of the country’s build-up to the 2012 Games and will be one of the flagship events of British Tourism Week 2010.
A total of 500 points of light, placed at 250 metre intervals, will be illuminated along the 84-mile route of the Hadrian’s Wall Path.
The first one will be illuminated at Wallsend in the north east with the line making its way along the wall to Bowness-on-Solway over the course of an hour.
The ambitious project is being led by Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd.
Linda Tuttiett, the chief executive of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd, said: “In partnership with local people, we wanted to do something really quite extraordinary to bring to life Britain’s longest and greatest piece of heritage and celebrate the landscape of Hadrian’s Wall Country.”
The Romans built fortlets, known as milecastles, along the wall at intervals of one Roman mile.
Between each milecastle, and spaced one third of a Roman mile apart, were a series of turrets.
The plan is to create a point of light where all the fortlets and turrets were located, with an additional point of light between each of them.
It is being produced by John Farquhar-Smith, the technical director for the eight-minute ‘handover ceremony’ for London 2012 at the closing of the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
His experience also includes organising a football match in winter 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle and the Royal gala opening of St Pancras International by the Queen.
Mr Farquhar-Smith said: “Our aim is to capture the public’s imagination with an event that will show the immense scale and beauty of Hadrian’s Wall and the countryside, villages, towns and cities that it runs through. It will be a celebration of a truly iconic piece of world heritage.”
A camera crew will film the line of light from a helicopter as it makes its way from coast to coast and the pictures will be beamed to giant screens as part of two major events in the north east and Carlisle.
There will also be a number of stewarded points along the wall where people will be able to view the line.
KEve@cngroup.co.uk
First published at 11:18, Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk
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Point of example for tourist heritage/local attraction is this seasons hi-tec colour changing floodlights of Carlisle Castle by forward thinking English Heritage. Is Hadrians Wall 2012 Olympic's lighting really a permanent feature or timely dawn/midnight switch off ? Even not, I have met tourist folks walking at night, asking directions towards our city. Vehicles have far better lights. Folks can always wear hi-viz gear, so do switch streetlights off after a set time to save the pensioner his taxes (and mine) and concern over all that wasted well lit but wasted energy/pollution? Many marketing opportunities are avaiable now with computerised/basic lasers/projecting (Centurian?) images. Fred Storys Dixon's Chimney Shaddongate Mills Homes advert images on blankwalls a recent example. Just new are multi-colour changing led lightbulbs with remotes! Carlisle does needs better informative systems other than un'Googled relics to boost images, such as of Carlisle Citywalls and associated former lineage where appropriate. Perhaps Civic Centre would look fantastic with some color themes.
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Sounds like a good idea, but its not long before the lambing season. Have the Farmers been consulted & are they happy?
Posted by Michael Thompson on 25 November 2009 at 12:11