The Norman Chapel, Durham Castle

From January 4th to 6th 2023, a team from Factum Foundation carried out the complete 3D recording, using photogrammetry and a LiDAR scanner, of the Norman Chapel inside Durham Castle, in the north of England. In collaboration with Durham University, the aim of the 3D recording is to provide further insight into the questions that still surround the making and materials behind the 11th-century chapel, in order to inform an upcoming restoration project by providing accurate surface and colour information.

During the recording process, students, experts and visitors to the Chapel were able to inquire about the technologies and methods employed by Otto Lowe and Ferdinand Saumarez Smith. The data was then processed at Factum’s headquarters and given to Durham University.

[Left] Ferdinand Saumarez Smith recording one of the columns using photogrammetry © Otto Lowe for Factum Foundation – [Right] Render from the 3D model of one of the columns © Factum Foundation