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Photography and Film Policy
Lowther Castle Ltd & Lowther Estate Trust do not permit photography or filming on its property for commercial use or for reproduction in any form without consent.

Images taken on Lowther properties and land may not be sold commercially, submitted to photo libraries, agencies or on-line providers or provided directly to image buyers or used for reproduction on merchandise or for marketing purposes without consent. A fee or location licence may be required.

If it is found that photographers have done so without permission, they will be asked to remove their images from their site until charges in accordance with Lowther location permit fees have been met.

Legal action could follow if required or deemed necessary given the exposure and/or use of the location photography.

All requests for permission to undertake commercial photography of any kind at Lowther should in the first instance be referred to info@lowthercastle.org

Press Photography
With the exception of organised press events at Lowther, all requests for access to Lowther Castle & Gardens or Lowther Park for press photography should be directed to charlotte.fairbairn@lowther.co.uk

Drone Photography Policy
The use of drones or UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) to film or photograph Lowther Castle & Gardens and Lowther Park is not permitted on or over any Lowther land without prior written approval.

If use is approved by Lowther Castle, the following conditions will apply:

Drone Flight Terms & Conditions (if approved)
All operators must hold the following:

  • A current and valid CAA (Civil Aviation Authority)
    ‘Permission for Aerial Work’ (PFAW) licence.
  • Evidence of valid insurance cover with a minimum of £5 million cover.
  • A risk assessment for the proposed flight.
  • A method statement outlining what equipment will be used.
  • A flight plan outlining where flying is proposed.

All drone operations must be conducted strictly in accordance with CAA legislation and regulations, with particular reference to the following conditions:

  • UAVs/drones over 250 grams must not fly higher than 120 meters
  • UAVs Whether you are flying a drone for fun or profit you must legally keep your device within your ‘visual line of sight’ at all times and be within 500 metres of your device at all times.
  • UAVs/drones are not permitted to be flown within 50 metres of any vessel, vehicle or structure which is not under the control of the person in charge of the aircraft; or within 150 metres of groups of people and built-up areas.
  • UAVs/drones should not be flown within 50 metres of any person except during take-off or landing or within 30 metres of any person except for the person in charge of the aircraft.

The new laws, below, apply to all RECREATIONAL and COMMERCIAL flying. The current laws, above, relating to maximum height allowed, distance from people and buildings, line of sight, restricted areas, etc. all still apply.

In detail these new laws are:-

  • Never fly closer than 150 meters to a group of 1000+ people and never over them .
  • Never fly closer than 150 meters to built up areas and never over them.
  • Never fly in an airport flight restricted zone or ANY other known restricted zone.
  • A drone operator or flyer should make themselves aware of any local restricted zones.

COMMERCIAL flying (eg. getting rewarded for using a drone ) has additional laws and very complicated regulations which involve getting “Permission for commercial operations” ( PfCO ) from the Civil Aviation Authority before using the drone, producing operation manuals and passing a far stricter exam.

Next Steps
If you are interested in flying a drone/UAV for filming on the Lowther Estate, please contact info@lowthercastle.org and include proof of the correct licence in the email.

Please note: For all projects including commercial and personal filming use, drone/UAV flying will be treated as a commercial hire and fees will apply as appropriate.