Wimpole Hall recruits clever canine

Dogs are well known for their sense of smell, but even for a sniffer dog, labrador Sam has been employed on an unusual mission - sniffing out dry rot at the historic Wimpole Hall.

Staff at the National Trust building in Cambridgeshire say that in recent years, a white furry fungus has been found under the floorboards of the Stewards Room.

"Rot hound" Sam formed part of a specialist human team, who carried out a thorough survey of the basements, using thermal cameras, humidity probes and high-powered fibre optics.

Samples were then sent off to the lab to determine moisture content and decay. Sam, however, makes light work of the dry rot detection, apparently becoming still when he finds it.

Wilmpole's house and collections manager, Lisa Voden-Decker, explains: "Whilst carefully lifting floorboards is reasonably straightforward, it may not give a full picture of the problem.

"There are other voids and structures within the house that are not so accessible and this is where rot hounds come into their own.  

"Sam's sniffing skills allowed him to sweep spaces and locate rot within concealed timber and masonry. When he smelt it he became motionless, confirming its presence in areas we know were affected, and in a couple we didn't."

Wimpole's basements have been affected by dry rot for some time. According to the National Trust, an architect in 1779 instructed a carpenter to remove the entire timber floor and panelling of the housekeeper's room due to decay.

Image curtesy of Wimpole Hall