Quest to protect ‘the people’s cathedral’
A project to record every last detail of Orkney’s iconic St Magnus Cathedral in the is set to begin later this year.
Orkney Islands Council – which maintains the 12th century building on behalf of the people of the islands – is looking to recruit experts to carry out detailed laser scans of the internal and external structure of the cathedral.
A major aim of the project is to generate a detailed 3D record of the building, which can be compared with future scans to detect any changes in the cathedral’s fabric and allow for analyses of weathering, erosion, decay, moss build-up or shifts due to subsidence.
It is also hoped to use the laser scans to develop digital tours, under separate proposals for a major exhibition on the history of Kirkwall – supporting researchers, providing insights for people planning to visit Orkney, and enhancing the experience of visiting tourists.
The laser scanning project has the backing of the Society of the Friends of St Magnus Cathedral, who are contributing half of the costs of the laser scanning.