KSS pulls out all the stops for Rochester Cathedral
Steeped in history, Rochester Cathedral is a beautiful building whose architecture and ambience enthrals all. In addition, the beautiful services held in the Cathedral provide comfort and joy - due in no small part to the wonderful music accompanying these. From his perch high up amongst the organ pipes, the organist has a very restricted view of what is happening in the Cathedral, situated as he is with the nave on one side and the quire on the other. This results in the organist being unable always to accurately synchronise his part in proceedings.
To remedy this, the Cathedral had used an old CCTV system with static cameras which fed back to a monitor in the organ loft, thus providing the organist with some idea as to what was going on below. However, the definition and the quality were not sufficient to pick up subtleties from the conductor of the choir and it was felt that this situation needed to be improved.
Kent & Sussex Security (KSS) were asked to upgrade the system, ideally using high definition pan/tilt/zoom cameras to give the organist a better perspective on events below. This would also provide close up real time surveillance of the conductor, choir master or person leading a service, be they situated in the nave or the quire.
The installation needed to be exceptionally discreet in order to maintain the beauty and the dignity of the building as well as paying due respect to its age and the very fabric of its material. KSS worked carefully to ensure that there was no damage to the ancient woodwork and stonework, and the project successfully passed the scrutiny of the Cathedral's Fabric Advisory Committee.
KSS installed two Pelco mini high speed surveillance domes between and beneath the organ pipes which provide surveillance of the nave and quire respectively. By painting these black, they were less conspicuous and a special bracket was designed to maximise the view from between the pipes, ensuring that the whole installation gave optimum coverage whilst blending into the surroundings.
The organist is now able to keep in close contact with what is happening below by maintaining a wide angle view of proceedings. Should he so wish, he may zoom in for a high definition close-up of a specific object - for instance, to keep in time with a conductor's arm movements. Comments Dan Soper, Assistant Director of Music “Having the CCTV installed means that there is a greater sense of integration which reduces the stress on the organist considerably! Being in such a 'lofty' position in the Cathedral, it was all but impossible for the organist to be included in the happenings below with any degree of accuracy - too often the organist would stop playing when music was still needed because he couldn't see a procession in another part of the building: with the installation which KSS has provided, we have a discreet and aesthetically pleasing modern solution to a very historic problem.”
“This installation proves that CCTV has an extremely flexible and positive role to play in a wide range of applications. CCTV should not automatically be linked only with the prevention of crime or the 'spying' role which it is often traditionally associated.” Comments Geoff Hilton, Managing Director of KSS. “ Here we have CCTV being sympathetically used to allow the organist to monitor proceedings, demonstrating that technology has a role to play in even the most dignified and respected of venues. It has been a privilege to be associated with this challenging and inspiring project”
