Wrong sort of light (From York Press)
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Wrong sort of light
10:45am Thursday 9th February 2012 in Letters
PM BATEY draws attention to the removal of the original street lights in Minster Yard opposite York Minster (Letters, January 25).
While his concerns seem to be mainly financial ones, my own are aesthetic as I feel the heart of York may be about to change.
Until now, that part of Deangate has been lit in very low orange light along with the wonderful gas lights.
The removal of the street light next to the front of St Michael le Belfry church has emphasised that part of the Minster even more, now seen in a more natural semi-darkness.
We have seen the ambient ‘look’ of Stonegate recently altered by two pale blue neon signs set in the sides of the extended window of the haunted museum.
This means one of the most photographed images of York – looking up Stonegate towards the Minster, now includes the unwelcome imposition of the word ‘haunted’.
If the new Deangate street lights are set at greater illumination or worse still, discard orange for the brighter white seen around the Deans Court Hotel or on the Queens Walk, the wonderful atmospheric ambiance of Deangate will be lost, along with that of Stonegate.
Jonathan Charles Bonner, Huntington Road, York.
Magicman! says...
4:01am Tue 14 Feb 12
The gas lanterns outside the Minster are nice, but having seen artists impressions of how that entrance is to be remodelled with a new ramp, the gas lights look like they may be removed.
The Park Estate in Nottingham is a fine example of gas lighting, as the householders there all chip in a bit of money each year to pay for upkeep of the lanterns - and in return is a nice calming low-level glow which gives adequate illumination of the footways. However there is little in the way of yobbos going round the Park Estate, compared to the busy Minster area of York city centre!