Brunel archives in Bristol to be shared online

Components of a wooden bridge for the Oxford and Rugby Railway by Brunel

Original drawings by engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel are among the artefacts the University of Bristol is making available to the public to view online.

It has been awarded £250,000 to digitise its archives, which also include rare films, historical maps and a collection of Penguin books.

A high quality camera will be used to capture photos, videos and 3D images.

Some of the first documents to go online will be Brunel's drawings of the Great Western Railway.

Drawings of Brunel's turntable designs for the Great Western Railway

The university is known to have one of the most internationally renowned collections relating to the engineer.

His letters and diaries are set to be digitised along with his works.

There are plans to create virtual reading rooms where experts will guide people through items in forensic detail.

To date £250,000 has been invested in equipment to digitise the archives

Some artefacts date back to the 11th Century.

Ed Fay, University of Bristol director of library services, said: "Putting our collections online not only democratises access to them, but also helps preserve them for generations to come."

The project has been funded by money from the Arts and Humanities Research Council as part of the UK Research and Innovation World Class Laboratories investment.