By David MacDonald, Journalism student

Holland College students are taking part in a three-year project which will result in a complete record of photographs and architectural drawings of the inside of the lieutenant-governor's mansion, a project the chair of the Government House committee says is "long overdue."

Students from the Photography and Digital Imaging program and the Architectural Technology program have been taking part in the project. Photography students are taking photos of the individual rooms, while the architectural students will then produce drawings based on the photos, which include detailed measurements of the rooms.

David Webber, chair of the Government House committee, said when he first joined the committee, it became apparent there were really no plans of the house.

"There was a lack of what we call 'as-found' drawings. There's also a lack of good photographic record of architectural detail."

The provincial archives include some sketches depicting major alterations in Government House, as well as some written reports by committees during the years before and after the house was built in 1834, he said, but he doesn't know what happened to documents such as the architect's original drawings.

"They just don't exist, unfortunately," he said.

"I think it wasn't considered necessary to keep records after the job was done. And I don't think they bothered with drawings when there was a repair; they just said 'fix this'."

The committee was concerned the building was of great historical importance both provincially and nationally, he said.

"If there is, God forbid, something like a fire or severe wind damage, there's no record of what it's like now," he said.

"All historical buildings of this grade should have as-found drawings done."

Photography and Digital Imaging instructor Alex Murchison said while the Photography program does cover skills related to architecture, an outside project of this size is an unusual occurrence.

One of the photographs of the main foyer of the lieutenant-governor's house taken by students from Holland College's Photography and Digital Imaging program.

"What excites me is it's a good opportunity to be able to have that experience while you're still in school."

Bruceyene Collins, Architectural Technology instructor, said her students' work on the project requires attention to detail and is time-consuming. She agreed this project benefits not just the students, but also the program itself.

"All projects in the Architectural Technology program simulate real-life projects. Each year the students complete a Historical Recording of a heritage building in the Charlottetown area," she said.

Because Government House is quite large, the project will take almost three years. Webber said another reason the work will take so long is because it can't be done on days when there are many people in the house.

The staff has been very co-operative, Murchison said.

"They've given us carte blanche. They just open the door and let us in and we just choose what we want to shoot."

There are some private rooms which the students haven't had access to yet, but hopefully will be able to once the lieutenant-governor feels more comfortable with them being around, he said.

"I would imagine that they would want those private areas documented eventually," he noted.

The process includes a lot of equipment and much detail. Murchison said the last time the class did work on the project, he and a group of three students loaded equipment, including camera, stands and laptop computers, into his Jeep.

Five lights were used to light up one of the rooms for the shoot, he said.

"We're shooting the room from four different angles so you can see not only those four views of the room itself but the different angles of the materials that are in there," he said. "So it's quite a big production."

One of the more popular rooms in the house is the Queen's bedroom.

"We have a number of female students who signed up particularly to photograph the Queen's bedroom so that was kind of fun."

Murchison wonders whether college students would have had the opportunity to access an historical building, if Prince Edward Island weren't such a small province.

"The public can't just go in. Other than (at a New Year?s levee) they can't just wander around."

Webber said he is pleased the project is being done.

"Once (the college) heard we wanted the job done they were very quick to say 'oh, yes, it would help not only you but us'", he said.

"I'm glad they said yes without any arm-twisting," he laughed.

In this picture: Photography and Digital Imaging students set up lighting equipment as they prepare to photograph the main foyer of the lieutenant-governor's mansion on Charlottetown. Students from Holland College's Photography and Digital Imaging program and Architectural Technology program are working together on a three-year project to compile a permanent record of the inside of the residence. The Government House committee organized the project.