The visitor centre at Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, which is operated by English Heritage, features a 3D-printed model of the site, onto which animations are projected to tell its history.
The model was created using data captured by a drone. Paul Backhouse, the head of imaging at Historic England (which owns the national heritage collection managed by English Heritage), says Tintagel is one of several English Heritage sites where data from drones has been used to create a 3D model. “The drones take lots of photographs – it’s film really – and this is put into various programmes to create the model,” says Backhouse.
The 3D-modelling programme, which also used data from other sources such as laser scanning, has been utilised by engineers at Tintagel for their work on a planned bridge that will join the peninsula the ruined castle stands on to the adjacent headland.
This is just one of the ways in which drones have been used at English Heritage properties in recent years. The aircraft have been employed to create marketing videos and photos, as well as to assess the condition of buildings. “Drones allow us to cover quite a lot of ground and get up close to structures, which would otherwise not be possible without scaffolding,” says Backhouse.
He adds that drones have been deployed regularly by Historic England over the past three years but only when necessary. “A request comes in and we make a decision about what tools we need. We don’t use drones as default, they are part of a broader approach. We might use a plane to just take a photo, but if we want close-up work it could be a drone.”
Operating these aircraft can involve administrative and practical complexities, such as those experienced at the English Heritage site of Stonehenge. “We needed flight permission because it is in a military zone, and we had to call the work off five times because of the weather,” says Backhouse.
Such difficulties help explain why Historic England works with specialist companies rather than keeping its own drones. “The cost of drones is falling, but operating them requires significant investment to train people in Civil Aviation Authority guidelines and health and safety,” says Backhouse.
The growing popularity of drones means many members of the public want to fly them at English Heritage properties. But it does not allow unapproved drone use because of the potential for them to escape control and cause damage.
Amateur drone flying is also forbidden at National Trust properties, says Harvey Edgington, the trust’s head of filming and locations, who says the aircraft can disturb wildlife and visitors. Unauthorised (and hence uninsured) drone use could also land people with huge legal costs if an accident occurs. “Often we are protecting people from themselves,” Edgington adds.
However, licencing film crews to fly drones has been a handy extra source of income for the trust. “We make a small charge to cover staff costs and paperwork, but it’s not a cash cow,” says Edgington.
Museums are also creating public programmes to engage people with the role of drones in the modern world. In the US, Seattle’s Museum of Flight has a permanent exhibition on drones, while in the UK, the Imperial War Museum London’s contemporary art exhibition – Age of Terror: Art Since 9/11 (until 28 May) – includes works examining drones’ use in war.
Venues such as Swansea’s National Waterfront Museum have also held drone-themed events (see below).
As these aircraft become cheaper and more agile, it seems likely that museums’ use of them will continue to grow. Backhouse sees a lot of potential in small drones that can navigate the inside of buildings. “When those get to market, they will revolutionise the way we capture data,” he says.
The students had worked with the South Wales police to develop a case for holding drones. The museum exhibited the students’ work and hosted a public event to build awareness of the aircraft.
“It was a chance for the police to talk about how they use drones and demystify them, and the public could vote on which product they thought was the best,” says Sean Jenkins, the head of the school of design and applied arts at UWTSD. “Unfortunately, there was appalling weather, so it was not safe to fly drones on the day.”
Jonathan Knott is a freelance writer
The model was created using data captured by a drone. Paul Backhouse, the head of imaging at Historic England (which owns the national heritage collection managed by English Heritage), says Tintagel is one of several English Heritage sites where data from drones has been used to create a 3D model. “The drones take lots of photographs – it’s film really – and this is put into various programmes to create the model,” says Backhouse.
The 3D-modelling programme, which also used data from other sources such as laser scanning, has been utilised by engineers at Tintagel for their work on a planned bridge that will join the peninsula the ruined castle stands on to the adjacent headland.
This is just one of the ways in which drones have been used at English Heritage properties in recent years. The aircraft have been employed to create marketing videos and photos, as well as to assess the condition of buildings. “Drones allow us to cover quite a lot of ground and get up close to structures, which would otherwise not be possible without scaffolding,” says Backhouse.
He adds that drones have been deployed regularly by Historic England over the past three years but only when necessary. “A request comes in and we make a decision about what tools we need. We don’t use drones as default, they are part of a broader approach. We might use a plane to just take a photo, but if we want close-up work it could be a drone.”
Operating these aircraft can involve administrative and practical complexities, such as those experienced at the English Heritage site of Stonehenge. “We needed flight permission because it is in a military zone, and we had to call the work off five times because of the weather,” says Backhouse.
Such difficulties help explain why Historic England works with specialist companies rather than keeping its own drones. “The cost of drones is falling, but operating them requires significant investment to train people in Civil Aviation Authority guidelines and health and safety,” says Backhouse.
The growing popularity of drones means many members of the public want to fly them at English Heritage properties. But it does not allow unapproved drone use because of the potential for them to escape control and cause damage.
Amateur drone flying is also forbidden at National Trust properties, says Harvey Edgington, the trust’s head of filming and locations, who says the aircraft can disturb wildlife and visitors. Unauthorised (and hence uninsured) drone use could also land people with huge legal costs if an accident occurs. “Often we are protecting people from themselves,” Edgington adds.
However, licencing film crews to fly drones has been a handy extra source of income for the trust. “We make a small charge to cover staff costs and paperwork, but it’s not a cash cow,” says Edgington.
Museums are also creating public programmes to engage people with the role of drones in the modern world. In the US, Seattle’s Museum of Flight has a permanent exhibition on drones, while in the UK, the Imperial War Museum London’s contemporary art exhibition – Age of Terror: Art Since 9/11 (until 28 May) – includes works examining drones’ use in war.
Venues such as Swansea’s National Waterfront Museum have also held drone-themed events (see below).
As these aircraft become cheaper and more agile, it seems likely that museums’ use of them will continue to grow. Backhouse sees a lot of potential in small drones that can navigate the inside of buildings. “When those get to market, they will revolutionise the way we capture data,” he says.
Game of drones
In June 2017, the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea held an event showcasing work by the design students at Swansea College of Art, part of the University of Wales Trinity St David (UWTSD).The students had worked with the South Wales police to develop a case for holding drones. The museum exhibited the students’ work and hosted a public event to build awareness of the aircraft.
“It was a chance for the police to talk about how they use drones and demystify them, and the public could vote on which product they thought was the best,” says Sean Jenkins, the head of the school of design and applied arts at UWTSD. “Unfortunately, there was appalling weather, so it was not safe to fly drones on the day.”
Jonathan Knott is a freelance writer