Period Chandelier Installation, Kensington
A homeowner in Kensington contacted us after purchasing a restored Victorian chandelier at auction. The fitting weighed just over 18kg and the existing ceiling rose — dating back to the original 1890s build — was not designed to carry that kind of load. We were brought in to rewire the relevant circuits and put in a proper structural fixing before the chandelier went up.
The brief
The property is a five-storey Victorian townhouse. The ground floor reception room had its original plasterwork ceiling intact, which the client was understandably protective of. Our job was to run new circuits for the chandelier and two secondary pendant lights in the same room, conceal all cabling without damaging the cornicing, and install a ceiling plate capable of bearing the load — all without cutting into the decorative plaster any more than absolutely necessary.
What we did
We started by assessing the existing ceiling void and tracing the original wiring back to the consumer unit. The previous installation used older rubber-sheathed cable that needed replacing regardless. Working from above through a small access point in the floor above, we ran new 2.5mm twin and earth from the consumer unit to a new ceiling junction box, keeping all cabling concealed within the void.
For the fixing, we located the nearest ceiling joist and installed a bespoke metal bracket rated well above the chandelier's weight, secured to the joist rather than the plasterwork. The ceiling rose was then cut and fitted with a close-ceiling BESA box that sits flush behind the original moulding. The client wanted a dimmer circuit for the chandelier — we installed a leading-edge dimmer compatible with the chandelier's LED driver and tested the full range before sign-off.
The two secondary pendants were wired on a separate switched circuit so the room can be lit independently. All work was notified to the local authority under Part P and a completion certificate issued.
The outcome
The chandelier went up two days after we finished. The client sent over photos — it looks exactly right in the space. No visible cables, no damage to the plasterwork, and the dimmer runs smoothly across the full range. The secondary lighting circuit has also been used to hang a pair of antique wall sconces the client sourced later.
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London & surrounding areas