Melrose Town Centre

Melrose, UK

>Lying at the base of the Eildon Hills in Scottish Borders, the picturesque town of Melrose is a hub of activity. Visitors the world over descend on Melrose throughout the year to visit, amongst other things, its abbey which is rumoured to contain the buried heart of the Scottish King - Robert the Bruce, its National Trust gardens, and the annual rugby sevens tournament which first originated in Melrose in 1883.

In 2007 the town went through a redevelopment that included the introduction of a new traffic flow system and partially pedestrianising the historic market square. A raised terrace area was constructed in the centre of the square, comprising of decorative flower beds and seating areas linked by steps.

Scottish Borders Council, the organisation responsible for carrying out the redevelopment, contracted UFO to supply and fit a fiber optic lighting solution that would illuminate the market square at night-time.

The risers of the steps that surrounded the terraced area were lit with marker lines of light, not only to act as a decorative feature but also as a precautionary safety measure. The marker lines were made from stranded sideglow fiber and set in 1" U-section metal channels using resin. Each of the channels was manufactured in our factory in Coldstream specifically for this project.

In total five of our Compact 150W metal halide illuminators were used to supply white light to the entire terrace area. The illuminators were housed in vented weatherproof enclosures which were built into the walls of the terraced area by the council. The enclosures have lockable doors to allow access to change lamps when necessary and each illuminator features an easy-change re-lamping feature.