Newark Park

MICC fire survival cable protects Grade I listed National Trust property, Newark Park, more than a decade after installation

Project Overview

Newark Park is a Grade I listed National Trust property in Gloucestershire, set within the Cotswold countryside. Protecting a building of this heritage value requires life safety systems that can continue operating during a fire, while also supporting the long-term preservation of the property and its collections.

As part of an upgrade to the building’s life safety infrastructure in 2012, Wrexham Mineral Cables supplied 300 metres of 2-core 2.5mm² white Mineral Insulated Copper Clad (MICC) cable to power smoke monitoring equipment throughout the property.

More than a decade later, the installation remains fully functional, continuing to support critical life safety systems within one of the National Trust’s Grade I listed heritage properties.

Challenge

Protecting historic buildings from fire presents a specific challenge. Alongside safeguarding occupants, life safety systems must also help protect irreplaceable architecture, collections and cultural heritage.

For Newark Park, the project team required a cable system that would reduce the risk of flame spread and continue operating during a genuine fire event, ensuring smoke monitoring equipment remained functional when it was needed most.

Solution

MICC cable was specified for its proven fire survival performance and ability to maintain circuit integrity under extreme conditions.

Unlike conventional polymeric cable systems, MICC contains no combustible insulation and does not contribute to flame spread. Its copper sheath and mineral insulation enable the cable to remain operational during severe fire conditions, providing continued power to critical life safety systems.

Although the Newark Park project team had previous knowledge of MICC’s fire-resistant capabilities, this was their first installation using this type of cable. WMC provided specialist training and technical support, including guidance on MICC termination techniques.

Results

• 300 metres of 2-core 2.5mm² white MICC cable installed.
• Smoke monitoring equipment protected by true fire survival cabling.
• Reduced risk of flame spread within a Grade I listed heritage property.
• Critical systems designed to remain operational during a fire emergency.
• Installation remains fully functional more than a decade after commissioning. Specialist training and technical support provided throughout the project.

Reflecting on the experience, Project Lead Andy Humphries commented:

"The support from Wrexham Mineral Cables with regards to training and termination techniques of MICC was second to none. I would highly recommend them to anyone in the industry."

For heritage properties such as Newark Park, where protecting people, buildings and historic collections is paramount, WMC's MICC cable provides a proven fire survival solution capable of maintaining circuit integrity for critical life safety systems during a genuine fire event, while delivering decades of service life.

Download the full Newark Park Case Study.