A TEAM of "spidermen" has begun checking some of the region's finest historic buildings. English Heritage has called in abseiling experts to help assess the state of 34 of its ancient buildings in Yorkshire and the Humber.
On Wednesday, armed with camera equipment, they got to work inspecting the fabric at the top of Byland Abbey, near Thirsk. It is understood they found some areas more worn than they had expected.
The surveys are carried out every four years and help conservationists plan repairs in good time. Inspecting stonework as high as 100ft is difficult and costly, and would otherwise need scaffolding. Hence the decision to enlist abseilers to look for signs of erosion and to clear vegetation.
Byland Abbey is one of the North's great Cistercian monasteries, founded in 1177. The team is from Wallwalkers, a Hertfordshire-based firm of high-rise specialists
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