Students build replica of cathedral spire (From Salisbury Journal)

Students build replica of cathedral spire

1:52pm Friday 8th March 2013 in News By Corey Ross

STUDENTS in London have created a nine-metre high replica of Salisbury’s famous cathedral spire.

The third year architecture students from Kingston University have made a one fifth scale model of the city’s spire, the tallest in Britain, and it was on display at Ecobuild, the world’s biggest trade fair for sustainable design and construction, at London’s ExCel Centre last Tuesday to Thursday.

Tim Gough, senior lecturer at Kingston University, said: “Inside Salisbury’s stone spire, there is a complex medieval timber frame structure which allows ongoing maintenance of the stone work from the inside. This was a considerable innovation in the early 14th century.”

The students had to rework the original design so the spire can stand without the outer stone covering of the original, and a 150-square-metre exclusion zone had to be set up around the replica as it was raised into position.

The spire is part of a wider project which involves looking at United Nations world heritage sites, and the students were particularly interested in the human ambition to build a landmark.