Maintaining a Digital Twin of St Mary’s Church, Harrow-on-the-Hill could provide the church administration with a detailed digital record of its building, architecture and surrounding landscape. It could be used to document the condition of the church, identify changes over time and support routine maintenance and long-term planning. Creating a digital record would also help safeguard knowledge of the building for future generations, particularly in the event of damage caused by fire, extreme weather or any other unforeseen events.
For the wider community, the Digital Twin could provide an accessible way to explore and understand the history and architecture of St Mary’s without necessarily having to visit the building. It could support virtual tours, educational projects, exhibitions and community heritage initiatives, helping local residents, schools and visitors to engage with the church and its place in Harrow’s history.
The Digital Twin could also make an important contribution to conservation. High-resolution photography, 3D modelling, surveys and other digital data could establish a baseline record against which future deterioration can be measured well. Conservation professionals could use this information to understand areas vulnerable to water ingress, erosion, structural movement or other forms of deterioration, helping the Church to prioritise maintenance and conservation work.
Finally, the Digital Twin could support the church’s response to climate change. London, in recent years, has repeatedly witnessed long, hot and dry summers followed by cold, wet and windy winters. Digital information could be combined with data on rainfall, temperature, humidity, energy consumption and the condition of the building to understand how changing environmental conditions affect the church. This could help inform measures such as improved drainage, roof repairs, energy efficiency, renewable energy generation and more sustainable heating and lighting solutions. In this way, the Digital Twin could become not simply a digital representation of St Mary’s, but a practical tool for stewardship, conservation, community engagement and climate resilience.