Lincoln Cathedral’s spires will be restored to their former glory with an augmented reality mobile phone app.
The £250,000 project – funded by VisitEngland – will use the latest augmented reality technology to digitally impose the collapsed spire onto the Cathedral.
Before the spire collapsed in 1549, Lincoln Cathedral was the tallest building in the world.
Jackie Croft, Chapter Clerk at Lincoln Cathedral says the app will encourage people to learn about the Cathedral’s history.
“We are often asked what did the spires look like, why did they collapse and are you going to rebuild them.
“Through augmented reality, we hope to be able to recreate what was cutting edge in 14th century Lincoln, and in doing so stimulate interest in what was a fascinating and eventful period in the history of the Cathedral’s construction.”
Augmented reality – the same technology that was made popular by Pokemon Go – blurs the line between the real world and the digital one.
Clare Williams, Marketing and Business Development Manager at Visit Lincoln, who will be delivering Lincoln’s project said: “This is a great opportunity for visitors to experience Lincoln Cathedral in a new way.
“It is an exciting and innovative project, bringing to life stories of the many local tradesmen and women that played a pivotal role in the foundations of our iconic landscape today.”
The project is one of 12 to receive funding from the £40 million Discover England Fund, administered by VisitEngland.
Its aim is to ensure that England stays competitive in the rapidly growing global tourism industry.
Sally Balcombe, Chief Executive of VisitEngland, added: “We had an exceptionally high number of submissions, which far outweigh the allocated funding available.
“Following a rigorous applications process, we are delighted to work closely with those winners on building world-class ‘bookable’ tourism products which showcase the best of England to international and domestic visitors.
“This is a great way for destinations to showcase their inspirational heritage offer, harnessing the power of technology to capture the imagination of a new market.”