Background

Seven-year development project opens new chapter for England’s first cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral was established in 597AD as England’s first cathedral, and for nearly fifteen centuries has played an important role in the life of the country. Today this masterpiece of English Gothic architecture it is not only the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican communion, but also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A far-reaching, seven-year development programme was begun in 2014 – called ‘the Canterbury Journey’ - with the aim of preserving and safeguarding the cathedral, and improving access for a new, more diverse generation of visitors. Backed by more than £25 million of funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, as well as trusts and individuals in the UK and US, the programme was to include a purpose-built welcome centre for visitors, with retail facilities, a viewing gallery, and community studio exhibition space.

With so much investment, and at such an important site, the project’s planners wanted to protect the new centre with best-in-class video monitoring.

Challenges

Affordable solution with sustainability at its heart 

Specialist integrator Hall & Kay Engineering was challenged to implement an affordable, sustainable solution that would be easy-to-use, allow efficient real time monitoring, and ensure reliable recording without loss of data.

As this was part of a much wider project, the video technology also had to give assurance of fast, trouble-free installation, to minimise the risk of over-runs.

Hall & Kay Director David Stokes identified IDIS end-to-end tech, incorporating cameras, recorders VMS, and all essential peripherals, as the ideal answer.

Solution

IDIS end-to-end solution ensures HD coverage of all key areas

To ensure high-definition video coverage of the Welcome Centre’s entrances, retail area and exhibition spaces, Hall & Kay installed IDIS Full HD DC4223WRX IR dome cameras. These vandal resistant models, equipped with varifocal lenses, true WDR and IR LED, deliver crisp, clear images even in challenging and variable lighting conditions.

Recording is handled by three 16-channel DD-1216 NVRs delivering 480ips live display with no latency. Easy plug-and-play allowed for seamless connectivity of cameras and mutual two-factor authentication streamlined cybersecurity measures, which is the cornerstone of IDIS DirectIP® solutions.

Assuring high performance, system longevity and low total cost of ownership (TCO), the equipment backed by the industry’s longest product warranty against equipment failure.

The license-free IDIS Center VMS gives the cathedral Constable and his security team easy control tools for efficient system management and viewing, with specific user permissions providing senior staff and system administrators with appropriate access.

Together the IDIS cameras, NVRs and VMS allow discrete, efficient real-time monitoring, and a complete record of events in the priority locations.

Finally, providing complete assurance against cybersecurity risks, the Korean-made IDIS video solution comes with inherent, multilayered encryptions and proprietary protocols to give the ultimate protection of sensitive video data.

Results and Benefits

Successful and safe re-opening for a new generation of visitors 

As the Canterbury Journey project is completed, and the cathedral opens its doors to a new generation of visitors, safety, security, and efficient site management are assured with the help of comprehensive video coverage.

Delivering on the promise of smooth installation at this most sensitive of World Heritage Sites, IDIS technology proved itself to be flexible and easy to work thanks to its true, one-click plug-andplay design.

The IDIS cameras now capture crisp, clear images in all lighting conditions, including at entrances and close to windows where there can be high contrast between direct sunlight and shadow. The system now gives the security team the 24/7 visual oversight they need both during the day and after the centre is closed.

And IDIS failover technology means that the recorded video is protected against data loss, even in the event of network instability, ensuring that a full record of events is now available for review

"Despite the fact that we had to sometimes hold off work because of essential conservation work, we completed our project on time and without problems. The IDIS solution is now delivering the best user experience at this World Heritage Site, and our customer is nothing short of delighted."

David Stokes

Divisional Director, Hall & Kay Security Engineering