EROSION CHECK: Steve Bickley, left, and Stuart Chadwick scan crumbling stonework at Hylton Castle
EXPERTS at English Heritage
have found an ultra-modern
solution to the age-old problem
of the erosion of some of the
region's most significant
heraldic stone carvings.
Stonework on Sunderland's
early-15th Century Hylton
Castle gatehouse tower, which
displays fine examples of royal
heraldry, including Richard II's
White Hart badge, has suffered
damage from hundreds of
years of rain, snow and wind.
Now specialised work using
high-tech scanning equipment
is taking place to measure the
rate of decay - and find the
best way of stopping it.
Stuart Chadwick, senior
surveyor with laser scanning
specialists Greenhatch, said:
"The scanner actually revolves
as it moves over the surface of
the stonework. As it turns, it
fires lasers in all directions,
taking measurements at a
speed of 500,000 points a
second. When it has done a full
sweep you get a threedimensional
image, from which
we can produce 3-D meshed
models and elevations.
Ray Stockdale, works
manager for English Heritage
in the North-East, said: "The
human eye can only see
serious deterioration which
has taken place over many
years, whereas this method
shows very small changes over
a much shorter space of time
that might be caused by wind
erosion or rain.
"From this information we
see what erosion is happening
before it's actually visible and
decide what needs to be done
to arrest it and preserve this
valuable stonework."
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Kate Wilson, English
Heritage's ancient monuments
inspector, said: "Although the
carvings at Hylton Castle are
eroded, they remain a very
visual display of the wealth and
status of one of the North-
East's great families."
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