DURHAM Castle and Cathedral can be seen in a whole new light, following the completion of a £600,000 project.

Durham County Council paid for the lights which illuminate the iconic buildings, which together form Durham’s World Heritage Site, to be replaced for the first time since the 1970s.

There are 240 new low-energy light emitting diode (LED) lights, which will cut energy consumption by up to 80 per cent.

The lights were designed by Stainton Lighting Design Services, of Thornaby, and installed by AK Lighting and Signs, of West Auckland.

Council chairman Linda Marshall officially switched on the lights in a celebratory event tonight (Wednesday, February 20).

The event also included a special concert in the Cathedral.

Councillor Bob Young, the council’s cabinet member for strategic environment, said: “These two buildings are the jewels in the crown of the Durham City skyline and this successful lighting project will allow them to shine together.”

Canon Rosalind Brown, chair of Durham World Heritage Site committee, said: “Seeing Durham Cathedral and Castle by night is one of the unforgettable experiences of being in the North-East.

“The great thing about the new lighting scheme is that it picks out the architectural detailing of these two magnificent buildings, presenting our UNESCO World Heritage Site at its best, while being much more energy efficient than the previous floodlighting.”

In July 2011, the council said the project would cost £430,000. However, Terry Collins, the council’s corporate director of neighbourhood services, said the installation cost £430,000 plus design, archaeological and ecological work and had been delivered on budget.

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