This concept of giving Face to Egremont is dramatically expressed in some experimental lighting designs demonstrated to Friends of the Castle and members of the Regeneration Partnership by London based lighting engineer, Mark Sutton-Vane. For a brief period Egremont could look up at the face of

King Henry III, who granted our market its first charter, projected on the famous framework of its

windows.

Mark's designs are world famous, including the illuminations of Southwark Cathedral and, nearer to home, Muncaster Castle. He was thrilled by the masonry of our castle and showed how the lighting could bring out the quality of the stonework create startling contrasts in atmosphere by slight alterations in the position of the lamps. Those present at the demonstration were amazed at Mark's ability to create dramatic effects with the minimum of voltage. None of the lamps that Mark uses has power of more than 45 watts, far too weak for the internal illumination of our homes, and yet when the design is ready people will be able to see projections on the castle walls from miles away. If we had used a flash the face of King Henry would have been entirely washed out from our photo, right. There will be absolutely no light pollution of the sky above the castle. Nevertheless, the lighting may give a new edge to the nocturnal battles between the bats and the moths.

As we reported a few months ago, the excitement of watching actors in the Castle performing in the pouring rain may soon be a thing of the past. Architects have been asked to design an exciting structure for a temporary theatre space, that can be easily erected and removed to allow music, theatre and many other events to take place, without being effected by the weather. Designs as part of a Royal Institute of British Architects competition for a performance space were exhibited last Friday and Saturday and will be shown again this Friday, at the Farmers and Crafts Market and comments from the public will help the jury to choose the best three. There will be another chance to comment on the three shortlisted designs when they have another level of detail in a month's time.