Southwell Minster scanned using 3D technology

A 12th Century cathedral has been scanned using 3D technology in the event of it ever being damaged.

Mark Williams, from Maptek, said the fire in April at Notre Dame in Paris, motivated him to carry out the work at Southwell Minster, Nottinghamshire.

He said the result was a "high resolution and highly accurate picture" of the outside of the "stunning building".

Notre-Dame was digitally scanned by historian Andrew Tallon in 2010.

Southwell Minster is famous for its "pepper pot towers".

Its stone carvings, known as The Leaves of Southwell, are considered among Europe's finest from the 13th Century.

"I've visited Southwell with my wife on a number of occasions and it's just the most stunning building," Mr Williams said.

He added that "should something catastrophic occur in the future" the images would be available to help rebuild it exactly as it was before.

John Lock, chair of the Southwell Archaeology community group, which helped with the work, said: "[Southwell Minster] is an important and much-loved church in Nottinghamshire and more widely abroad.

"There are plans and records of the cathedral but as far as I am aware nothing to match the detail and accuracy of the laser survey."

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