Church of England deploys drones to conduct surveys of its historic churches
The Church of England will use drones to identify Yorkshire churches in need of maintenance. This is part of the Yorkshire Maintenance Project to keep churches in good condition.
The project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, will include training workshops for the repair of church buildings. Volunteers will be trained to inspect churches and chapels, and perform minor maintenance tasks. A new website was launched for organizing and scheduling the work. Drone inspections will be headed by the Museum of London Archeology.
"The Yorkshire Maintenance Project will help ensure that Yorkshire's churches and chapels will be well maintained, with the risk of serious damage to them minimized," said Michael Murray, the director of church support for The National Churches Trust (NCT).
"Regular maintenance is essential for churches. Something as simple as keeping drains and gutters clear so that water is taken away from the building efficiently is the most important thing a church can do to stop small problems [from] developing into unnecessary crises," he continued.
About 1,095 churches in Yorkshire are listed as architecturally or historically important. This includes the 346 churches classified at the highest level of importance.
Murray hopes that the dioceses of Sheffield, York and West Yorkshire will be a part of the project in the future.
The NCT is not the only one using drones to check churches. Last May, a drone was used in New Zealand to survey the condition of Christchurch Cathedral. The cathedral was heavily damaged by an earthquake that occurred in February 2011. A drone was also used after last week's earthquake in Italy to survey the disaster's impact on a church in Cossito village.
On another note, police reported in 2015 that thieves used drones to look for churches with the most lead on its roofs.
