An augmented reality trail around the town showing historical reconstructions from the past has finally been expanded and now features seven sites which users can view on mobile devices.

This is an increase from the existing three beforehand.

This is all thanks to a grant from Herefordshire Council’s Great Places to Visit fund, which was given to Ross-on-Wye’s Museum Without Walls.

Augmented reality is an interactive experience, where a person can use their smart phone to view real-world places, but with visual additions, alterations, or extra information. For example, a mobile phone might take the view from its camera and alter or annotate the video feed to add contextual information, such as annotations, or a superimposed image. In this case it can demonstrate what parts of Ross looked like many years ago.

Local community group createROSS, who organise a variety of arts and culture projects, created the virtual museum trail, which brings Ross-on-Wye’s rich heritage and history to life. They have also published a user-friendly trail that leads visitors to each of the exhibit sites.

The previous sites that could be viewed on the augmented reality trail include Underhill, the row of Tudor houses adjacent to the Market House which were demolished in 1862; The Prospect Fountain, which provided the town with its first water supply; and the Wye Tour Boat, a tourist boat that would have carried visitors to the Wye Valley down the river to Chepstow in the late 18th century.

There are now a total of seven augmented reality exhibits in the Museum Without Walls including the new St Mary’s Rood Screen; part of St Mary’s Church as it might have looked in 1724; High Street 1821’, showing King George IV passing through town in his carriage; The Railway in Ross, the railway line at Five Ways at the bottom of Brampton Road; and The Roxy Cinema, currently occupied by Clarks’ shoe shop on Broad Street.

“

We are delighted to have received this generous funding to enable the expansion of createROSS’s project in the town centre and we hope that residents and visitors will enjoy learning about our rich heritage and past. createROSS has worked alongside some very creative local artists to develop the current exhibits and have plans to expand the trail further to twelve sites. We are also particularly delighted to have brought steam trains back to Ross-on-Wye after over-50 years, even if they’re only in augmented reality.

Ed O’Driscoll, mayor of Ross and chair of the Community, Markets and Tourism Sub-Committee.

Funding for the project was initially provided by Arts Council England and the Hidden Gems scheme with support from Ross-on-Wye Town Council. The four new exhibits are funded by the Government’s Covid-19 Outbreak Management Funds grant as part of Herefordshire Council’s Covid-19 recovery plan, supporting economic recovery and improving well-being in Herefordshire.

Further details and how to download the Museum Without Walls from the Apple and Android app stores can be found on the project’s website at MuseumWithoutWalls.uk or from the QR codes on the information boards at each site.

The Hidden Gems scheme invested £108k in creativity and communities across Herefordshire between 2018 and 2020.

It was co-funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England. The grant scheme was made available to support creative projects that used the arts and digital technology to raise the profile of lesser-known heritage, directly involving communities and reaching new audiences with bold and innovative ideas.