PbWO4 has been selected as the most appropriate scintillator for futur
e calorimeter projects at LHC to detect high energy photons in the mul
tiple GeV range. In spite of the low yield of scintillation light, the
applicability in photon and particle detection at energies well below
1 Gev has been studied using electrons between 180 and 855 MeV. The c
rystals (20x20x150mm(3)) are characterized by the optical quality and
the response to low energy gamma-sources using hybrid photo diode tube
s. The energy resolution of the electromagnetic shower deposited by el
ectrons in a 3x3 crystal matrix amounts to sigma/E = 2.39%/root E + 0.
20% (E given in GeV). The obtained time resolution of sigma less than
or equal to 130 ps allows photon/particle discrimination via time-of-f
light measurement.