On the river after dusk, between Tower and London bridges, the spire and clock faces of St Mary the Virgin Church, Rotherhithe, are now clearly visible.

Also illuminated in the church grounds is the Christopher Jones statue, a memorial to the seasoned mariner who captained the Mayflower from Rotherhithe to Southampton, Plymouth, and then across the Atlantic in 1620.

This is thanks to Rotherhithe Illuminated!, a community-led legacy lighting project celebrating the area’s rich maritime history.

A group of residents, dissatisfied that Rotherhithe was invisible from the river after dark, created the project to highlight the area’s key role in the Mayflower story and enhance local amenity, wellbeing and pride of place.

Project leaders worked with conservation architects and lighting designers, consulted the community at public meetings, and crowdfunded to cover costs, including a feasibility study. Generous supporters include the US Embassy, Uber Boats by Thames Clippers, the Mayor of London, the Port of London Authority and the Illuminated River Foundation, in association with the Rothschild Foundation.

So successful is the project it features as a case study in “Seeing clearly: How lighting can make London a better city,” a report published by think tank Centre for London.

Images courtesy of Rotherhithe Illuminated!