New survey will help protect York Minster from climate change
A team of surveyors at York Minster will digitally scan the entire building as part of efforts to preserve its original design for future generations.
The multi-year project will produce scans to show visitors how the building’s many decorative “grotesque sculptures” have adapted and changed over time.
The operation, led by digital surveyor Luke Snell, has been partly motivated by studying the impact of climate change on the centuries-old cathedral.
Snell, 27, said adverse weather was a “big concern” which had accelerated the deterioration of the exterior of the building, making it harder for people to understand how it originally looked.
YORK MINSTERSnell said the Minster, which has stood in the heart of York for more than 1,400 years, has struggled to adapt to wetter winters and was not designed to cope with large amounts of rainfall.
Dry and hot summers, through recent heatwaves, have also had a negative impact — with the sun drying out the stones and drawing out certain salts which “accelerate” the weathering process, he said.
“The Minster almost has its own little ecosystem. If you’re stood on the south side for example, it may be 10 times windier than on the north side.