Visitors take virtual journey to medieval fire

Tablets at the museum transport visitors back to the fire when held over a 3D-printed map

A museum has launched an augmented reality (AR) experience to transport people to a medieval fire which "changed a town forever".

Visitors to Market Hall Museum in Warwick hold tablets over a 3D-printed map to immerse themselves in how the 1694 Great Fire spread.

The flames started in houses opposite Lord Leycester hospital and quickly engulfed nearby buildings.

“[The] story is so key to how Warwick is today," said Rebecca Coles, Warwickshire County Council's senior learning and community engagement officer.

Streets were widened and thatched and timber houses banned after the 1694 disaster

Along the interactive journey, visitors watch animated stories of people who lived through the disaster, recreated from historic documents.

The free display was created by AR specialists RiVR after capturing 6,000 drone photos of the town.

Museums staff commissioned the exhibit after an original map from the 1600s was put into storage because it no longer fitted after a refurbishment.

"After the fire [Warwick] modernised the buildings, they banned thatched and timber houses, they widened streets, but you can look at the map today and you’ll recognise it," Ms Coles explained.

Those interested to learn more can attend a talk at the venue on 21 March at 13:00 GMT.