Issue 44 winter 24 - Journal - Page 72
St Leonard's Church, Somerset
Challenge: To modernise facilities within a historic church building
Solution: A Public announcement and induction loop system
Benefit: Clear sound throughout the church, for those with and without hearing aids
Nestled in a picturesque Somerset village, St. Leonard’s
is a charming rural parish church commanding beautiful
views over the surrounding countryside. The site and
some parts of the structure are believed to date back to
the 14th century. It has been designated by English
Heritage as a grade II listed building.
The acoustic challenge for this particular church, as with
many old churches, was to prevent echo and reverberation from ancient stone walls ( a particular problem for
the hearing impaired).
Assistive listening expert - Gordon Morris Ltd of
Somerton, Somerset was chosen for the project. They
took time to ensure the brief was clearly understood by
all parties before designing a solution to work in harmony
with the rest of the PA system.
As part of a project to modernize and conserve the
building, it was decided to upgrade the existing public
announcement (PA) system and install an induction loop
system.
The simple but very effective solution was a Univox
professional loop series amplifier and a standard perimeter
loop configuration. The proposed system was given a trial
at the church, to ensure it met the needs of the building,
and improvements were made to the initial set-up.
St.Leonard's Church
The challenge with modernising the building, was to do
so without destroying ancestry, heritiage and tradition.
Many churches face this challenge. On one hand, they
need to maximize participation and better serve the needs
of the local community, but as guardians of our heritage
they do not want to compromise the splendour and
history that make these buildings special.
All wiring was completely concealed and the installation
was fully compliant with IEC 60118-4. The result is a
perfectly calibrated loop system that guarantees that
visitors enjoy crystal clear sound whilst enjoying the
beauty and atmosphere of the church.
UnivoxAudio Ltd is a specialist AV distribution company for the UK and Ireland.
We support a small number of manufacturers whom we believe offer something different, something special.
They are: Bo Edin, Fulgor Services and Okayo
Unlike many distributors, we aim to have a technical understanding of the products we support second only to the
manufacturer but we don't like keeping it to ourselves.
If you have
the time, we will train you, not in our products,
but in the technology enabling you to make informed choices. If you don't have the time, then we will help you design
and specify the most cost effective solution.
And whilst we hope you do not have issues with our supported brands
on site, if you do, we will provide the technical support when you need it.
If you specify or install any of the following, give us a call and let us help you:Hearing Loops
FM assistive Listening Systems
Infrared Assistive Listening Systems
Tour Guide Systems
Active and Passive Column Speakers
Beam Steerable Column Speakers
You can contact us using any of the following ways...
UnivoxAudio Ltd.
Unit 22 Martlesham, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 2QF
Phone: +44 (0)1707 339216
Email: writeto@univoxaudio.co.uk
Website: www.univoxaudio.co.uk
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Conservation & Heritage Journal
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