£48,000 to scan historic canals
A charity has been awarded £48,000 to carry out detailed scans of the historic canal network it manages.
Historic England has financed the project at Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust which is located off Birmingham New Road in Dudley.
It will pay for specialist contractors and technicians to undertake 3D laser scanning at the site’s underground caverns and mines.
Work began in February this year and is expected for completion in September.
The results will help the charity’s ongoing preservation of the tunnel network, allow them to model future environmental scenarios and produce 3D models for display purposes.
Jeff Luesley, chairman at the charity, said: “This is an amazing outcome for us, especially given the current circumstances.
Valuable
“Our mission is to preserve the caverns tunnels, mines and waterways for future generations and this project will have a very positive and long-term return towards this.”
Traci Dix-Williams, chief executive of the trust, said: “At the start of 2019, we trialled a 3D scanning project and the results were a valuable resource from the outset.
“This support will allow us to expand on this, explore what new technologies can bring to our current approaches and allow us to increase our knowledge and share this information widely.”
The canal trust will be working with Johnson Poole and Bloomer, Arup, SCCS and the team from Dudley Council and Canal and River Trust to complete the project.
The canal and tunnel is made up of both man-made and natural features – with those of the latter dating back 428 million years.
For more information, visit www.dudleycanaltrust.org.uk.
