CASE STUDY ENGLISH HERITAGE
PRESERVING
THE PAST
The installation of technology which enables the live real-time monitoring of an historic
building could revolutionise how we protect and preserve heritage sites fi nds Sara Bean
During the pandemic one of the most longed for aspects of normal life
has been the opportunity to visit museums, stately homes and other
heritage sites. Whether they’re open or closed to the public, preserving these
buildings and their contents from damage is a key concern. Take for example
the devastation caused by a fire at Surrey’s Clandon Park in 2015, which
destroyed the stately home and a great deal of its collection of artefacts and
interiors.
Innovations which help to preserve and protect precious buildings and their
contents are incredibly important. This is why it is reassuring to hear that of the
extension of a major pilot scheme to monitor and manage building services by
Ecclesiastical Insurance and English Heritage, in partnership with technology firm
Shepherd, has put Grade I listed Kenwood House on a technological par with The
Shard.
Kenwood House, set on the edge of London’s Hampstead Heath, dates back to
the early 18th century, where between 1764 and 1779 Robert Adam transformed
it into a neoclassical villa for William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield. Its interiors
include some of Adam’s finest surviving schemes and the house is now home to
the 1st Earl of Iveagh’s renowned collection of Old Master and British paintings,
which includes works by Rembrandt and Vermeer.
24 MAY 2021
Nicholas Hartley is Head of Business Improvement and Innovation for
Ecclesiastical, a specialist insurer of the faith, heritage, fine art, charities,
education and private client sectors: “One of the challenges of heritage
buildings compared to new builds is that old buildings like Kenwood o en
predate electricity, running water and gas, so everything is retrofitted.
Also, a modern visitor attraction with multiple floors requires the installation
of a li which means li sha s and voids which can then present added risks.
This is why it is crucial that we mitigate risk as best we can to reduce the
potential of a fire. Water is also a very significant issue, because even a small
leak can have a bad e ect, and it might happen over a long time without
being noticed.
“Ecclesiastical has a loss prevention innovation programme which has a number
of objectives, one of which is finding innovative ways of addressing common
risks for our customers and how to reduce the level of disruption and loss. The
initiatives used within that programme, include drones, thermography, as well as
data driven approaches and IoT sensors but primarily in the home environment.
“The work with English Heritage came about because it is a long-standing
Ecclesiastical customer and we’ve good relationships with them so it felt like a
natural progression to propose that we work in partnership with Shepherd.”