Using a Drone to Photograph a Medieval Stained Glass Window in Canterbury Cathedral

<p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" class="first" dir="auto" id="d4046316e111">We have explored the feasibility of using drone technology to photograph stained glass windows in situ. In a short trial a drone was flown inside Canterbury Cathedral to take high quality images of one large medieval window. Particular attention was paid to controlling the position of the drone to capture a series of consistent overlapping images, which were subsequently merged together to produce a seamless high-resolution image of the whole window. Results are assessed for the practicality of flying the drone in a public architectural space, the quality of the imagery obtained, and its potential value for documentation and conservation of the stained glass.