Wednesday, 1st February 2023

Undertaking security reviews of cultural venues is something we specialise in and which we get a great deal of pleasure from delivering. During February 2023 we had the privilege of supporting some wonderful venues in Scotland, including a Grade 1 listed castle.

This month Trident Manor personnel took a long train journey to northern Scotland to assess and evaluate the security of a historical castle on behalf of the lender and government entities. Historical buildings bring with them many issues that cannot be addressed by normal security practices, for example, Listed status, 24-inch thick walls, an inability to run cables, while at the same time keeping oversight of visitors to the venues.

On the other hand in historical times these buildings were frequently attacked and therefore the physical security measures had to be robust enough for a response to be mounted (sound familiar…). On this occasion, there were 3-metre-high walls, a dry moat, and even a working drawbridge, brilliant!

Inside there are often other considerations to be made regarding the protection of assets and that includes environmental conditioning, ultraviolet light damage, and infestations caused by plants and insects. All of this is before we even start to consider the adversarial threats that exist whether from opportunistic criminals, organised crime groups, or even protesters.

On this visit is was brilliant to see proactive engagement by the management team towards the protection of all assets at the castle and the delivery of an effective service for members of the public to enjoy during visits. Well done to the whole team for making our life easier regarding the number of recommendations and pleasurable.

Providing security at cultural and heritage venues is not like a home or shopping mall, there are wider, more specialised considerations that have to be made, especially if wanting or needing to meet certain compliance levels. It is always better to invest in those specialist providers like Trident Manor who know and understand how best to deliver professional services.