London Canal Museum

Situated in the bustling King’s Cross area of London, The London Canal Museum tells the history of the city’s canals. Opened in 1992, the museum is housed in a Victorian ice warehouse, which was used by the Swiss entrepreneur and famous ice cream maker Carlo Gatti.

Visitors to the museum can take a look around a narrowboat cabin, and find out about the people who lived and worked on the waterways. The site also contains two preserved ice wells under the main building, one of which can be viewed from the public areas of the museum.

The original dynamic LED lighting scheme for the Ice Well was installed in 2013, and had suffered damage as a result of several floods. The scheme was therefore in need of updating, to replace the LEDs and add a new control system. To begin the process, the original custom fixtures were stripped of all controls and the separate white and RGB LED strips were removed.

The old failing LEDs were replaced with Architainment Lighting’s Architape RGBW LED strip which is designed to last 60,000hrs. The LED strip was refocused, offering an even distribution across the ancient walls of the Ice Well.

A new enclosure was designed and provide for the control system, to ensure all power supplies and drivers are mounted high above the flood risk area, reducing the risk of water damage. To further ensure the system will withstand any future floods, new cabling and connectors has been installed.

Prior to delivery, the whole installation was prepared and tested in Architainment Lighting’s dedicated and specialist manufacturing facility in High Wycombe. This allowed the system to be installed in one day, which minimised disruption to museum visitors.

“Working with historic sites is always fascinating, and it is a joy to supply equipment to improve the environment and visitor experience of these important sites. By testing the complete system at our dedicated facility, Architainment Lighting was able to ensure a rapid installation, so we didn’t impact on those visiting the museum.”

Nic Tolkien, Architainment Lighting’s Managing Director

The upgrade and reprogramming of the Philips iPlayer controller has allowed for smooth automated scenes and shows, which means the lighting can be used more effectively to enhance the historical features of the Ice Well. The improved controls will also allow the lights to be used for special events such as weddings and parties.