Blenheim Palace and the University of Oxford have partnered on a data-led approach to restoring the 300-year-old building.
This joint endeavour forms part of the Woodstock palace's £40 million restoration programme, which is halfway through its estimated ten-year duration.
However, it is likely to be the start of a 20 year, £80 million programme, depending on what is revealed by the current project.
One of the questions the partnership hopes to answer is whether the lichens found on the stonework have a protective or deteriorative effect.
To find the answer, Dr Nicholas Carter, a lecturer in physical geography from Christ Church, University of Oxford, is carrying out research at the site to determine what impact lichen is having on the palace.
Dr Carter has been analysing which lichens are present on the palace's walls and from this, has been able to advise on whether and where any issues of biodeterioration are developing, or are likely to develop in the future.
He said: "The lichens living on the facade of Blenheim Palace have a fascinating ecological and cultural history and play an important role in its conservation, contributing to Blenheim’s status as a World Heritage Site as well as the wider ecosystem.
"The more time we spend with lichens, the more they reveal their artistry, their uniqueness and their tales."
His research also forms part of Blenheim Palace's mission as a World Heritage Site, a status it has held since 1987, to acknowledge, protect, and enhance its ecological value.
During his research, Dr Carter discovered a relatively rare British lichen, Phaeospora parasitica, marking its first recorded appearance in Oxfordshire.
He said: "Lichens are a coming together of several different organisms in what is known as a symbiotic relationship to create a single living thing, or perhaps some form of ecosystem.
"It’s a relationship that benefits all the separate parts that make it, and in that sense they’re really good metaphors for the connections us researchers in the University of Oxford have made with the Blenheim team.
"Connections that have enabled us to develop new ideas and to tell the story of the lichens there."
Dr Carter's research at the university centres on the two-way interactions between organisms and the physical environment, especially in the fields of rock and stone weathering, landscape evolution and architectural heritage conservation in locations such as Thailand, India and the UK.
He holds an MA in geography and a DPhil in biogeomorphology, both from the University of Oxford, and, while a research student, was awarded the Oxford University Environment Prize for his research and essay writing.
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