We have an update on the future of Gwrych Castle! Since the announcement of the £2.2million grant awarded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, we’ve been extremely busy behind the scenes preparing for the project which will provide a roof and floors to stabilise the ‘at risk’ structure.

Due to the complex nature of the building, a lot of planning works must be undertaken first before any works begin. Most recently we’ve had a high accuracy 3D Geospatial Survey carried out by Terra Measurement.

Dale Rose from Terra Measurement said: “This is the ultimate 3D digital capture of the Castle. It follows the Historic England ‘Geospatial Survey Specifications for Cultural Heritage’ to 3D survey data, and a 3D inspection platform for this Grade I Listed Building and Scheduled Monument.

When captured and managed to these ‘best practice’ geospatial standards, the 3D survey data will help the conservation and development of this historic building for many decades into the future. It will also serve as part of the historical record of the castle forever.

We are combining Terabytes of data from over 400 high resolution 3D laser scans and over 30,000 high-definition images derived from UAV mounted and mirrorless photogrammetry surveys.

A 3D Reality Capture meshed model (with accuracy as good as +/-1mm in most of the locations surveyed) will be created.

This 3D meshed model with an integrated high-definition photo ribbon, will be used as an online digital 3D inspection platform to give unrestricted access, not possible or practical in other ways. The 3D data can be interpreted to create highly accurate 2D plans, all drawings and models will ensure the design team and the Trust have all the structural information at hand to make well informed decisions on how best to repair, restore and conserve the castle.”

We will be sharing more with you in the coming weeks!