Heritage Lighting Matters Ltd

30/10/2025

Don't think your existing Picture Lights are up to the job? Think again!

Read more on pages 52 through to 57 in The Conservation & Heritage Journal by Heritage Lighting Matters: https://expert-witness.paperturn-view.com/conservation-heritage-issue-49-october-2025?pid=ODk8910247&v=2.1

Contact [email protected]

28/10/2025

It was a pleasure to be part of the 21st Century Renaissance Project at Castle Howard this year. See the results by watching the new Channel 4 series, Great Estates from Above.

If you are ever in the North Yorkshire area, please do pay a visit to this iconic House & Gardens. I would thoroughly recommend it.

Castle Howard VisitEngland Visit York Channel 4

Tune in tonight at 9pm on More4 to discover a different side to Castle Howard on Great Estates from Above. ☁

The programme uses state-of-the-art drone and aerial photography highlighting Britain's most historic and impressive estates, and we are delighted to feature in the second episode.

Follow the Castle Howard team and watch behind-the-scenes of Castle Howard's 21st Century Renaissance project, unveiled earlier this year. The episode also features our nature and conservation initiatives, including the Bog Hall Habitat Bank project.

Learn more via link in bio.

📷Nick Howard

Image description: An aerial photo of the South Front at Castle Howard, with manicured lawns and hedgerows as the sun shines on the magnificent architecture of the House, as fog hovers over the rolling hills in the background.

23/10/2025

Every painting has a story, and every artist has a story too. We will be introducing artists from various eras whose paintings we have lit over the years.

Artist Spotlight - Melchior d'Hondecoeter

A Dutch animalier painter, who was born in Utrecht in 1636 and died in Amsterdam in 1695. He is renowned for painting bird subjects, usually exotic or game, in park-like landscapes. His paintings are so distinctive, and he really captures the animal’s features in his brush strokes.

I have had the great pleasure to light more than 10 of his paintings over the years, and have included one of them below as a reference. This painting is hung in the Saloon at Polesden Lacey in Surrey, a National Trust property, and it illustrates his wonderful work perfectly. This painting has a canvas size of 50” (H) x 69” (W) surrounded by a 6” frame. If you are ever in the Surrey area, it is well worth a visit to see this wonderful painting, as well as other works of art from many other artists.

National Trust National Trust for Historic Preservation National Trust for Scotland National Museums Scotland Historic England Historic Royal Palaces Historic Environment Scotland English Heritage The Church of England Historic Houses The Churches Conservation Trust

03/10/2025

A thoroughly wonderful conference & a great success. So well organised by the Heritage Network team. It's great to be involved with so many like-minded professionals who are looking after our country’s heritage.

The venue was spot on, too … Bradford, the UK City of Culture for 2025 (a city that has so much to offer & see).

Well done to everyone involved in this event.

Visit Bradford Bradford City Centre

23/09/2025

Every painting has a story, and every artist has a story too. We will be introducing artists from various eras whose paintings we lit over the years.

First in our 'Artist Spotlight' series is Pieter Claesz, a Dutch Golden Age painter born c. 1597, who achieved a striking simplicity and atmospheric quality in still-life representations.

In 1620, he moved to Haarlem and became a member of the Guild of St. Luke. He was one of the most important exponents of the "ontbijt" or dinner piece, which can be clearly seen here.

Claesz became one of the founders and the leading master of a type of image that we now know as the “banquet piece”: a view of a table arrayed with sumptuous food and beautiful tableware. One important feature of the banquet piece was the inclusion of exotic things to eat from distant countries: oranges and lemons from Spain, olives and grapes from Italy, walnuts from Turkey—all extravagances that would have been immediately recognizable to contemporary viewers as expensive luxuries. The table settings were equally opulent, including fine silver and glassware.

16/09/2025

When lighting artwork, there are many factors to consider to gain the perfect viewing experience and light the entire canvas well.

There are various light sources available to do this; however, using an adaptable and maintainable lensed LED system is by far the best option. Historically, halogen lamps and tungsten filaments have been used, but with the development of LEDs over the last 10 years, this is the way to go now...

You can read our full guide in our latest article written by Iain McIntosh for the Conservation & Heritage magazine at https://heritagelightingmatters.com/press/

Photo credit: Christopher Davies from

National Trust National Trust for Scotland National Museums Scotland Historic England Historic Royal Palaces Historic Environment Scotland English Heritage The Church of England Historic Houses The Churches Conservation Trust

09/09/2025

Who else loves relaxing while looking at flickering flames? 🔥

Sometimes it is not possible to have a real fire burning due to health & safety; however, that does not mean that you cannot bring your fireplaces, torches, or frosted fittings to life.

Our Flickering Flame Lighting solution replicates the way a flame burns, and when viewed behind a frosted glass in a torchere or hidden below wooden logs in a fireplace basket, it would be very difficult to determine which one is the real flame.

This is a very popular product and is used in many castles, historic houses & palaces across the country that are open to the public and cannot have open fires or burning flames from a health & safety perspective.

You can find out more at https://heritagelightingmatters.com/flickering-flame-lighting/

National Trust National Trust for Scotland Historic England Historic Royal Palaces Historic Environment Scotland English Heritage The Church of England Historic Houses

02/09/2025

We love seeing the results of our fine art lighting work. Here is a 'before and after' example from Broughton Castle showing just how much the picture lighting brings paintings to life. We lit many paintings at this castle and look forward to sharing some more with you in due course.

Did you know? Broughton Castle is a moated and fortified manor house near Banbury in North Oxfordshire. Set in parkland and built of the rich local Hornton ironstone. If you ever find yourself in the area, why not pay a visit?

National Trust National Trust for Scotland National Museums Scotland Historic England Historic Royal Palaces Historic Environment Scotland English Heritage The Church of England The Churches Conservation Trust Historic Houses

11/08/2025

Some years ago, I was asked to light this Cecil Kennedy painting, who is widely regarded as one of the finest British painters of flowers of the 20th Century. He is also renowned for including a ladybird or bumblebee in his paintings. Before this painting was lit, the ladybird wasn't obvious at all, but now it can be seen easily. I have attached a magnified section, as this image might be quite small on your screen.

Many little gems can be hidden in paintings until they are lit correctly.

Our FREE Guide on 'How to light artwork perfectly' can be viewed on our Blog to find out what to look for when lighting your art. There are a number of must-haves that will make all the difference to your viewing pleasure.

Access our free guide here: https://heritagelightingmatters.com/how-to-light-artwork-perfectly

22/07/2025

Receive a FREE Picture Lighting Audit and Gift*!

If you have 10 or more paintings and would like a free audit of your picture lighting, register now at heritagelightingmatters.com/audit

*Free bottle of prosecco and bottle lamp to the first 100 people to register.

National Trust National Trust for Scotland Historic England Historic Royal Palaces Historic Environment Scotland English Heritage The Church of England Historic Houses