University of Southampton Partners with Southampton City Council for Augmented Reality Tour of Medieval Landmarks
The University of Southampton, partnered with Southampton City Council, has launched a project using augmented reality to immerse visitors, digitally, in the city’s most iconic medieval buildings.
3D laser scanning by university researchers and students allows people to explore the structures via smart phones using exceptionally detailed computer models, known as ‘digital twins’. The virtual reproductions include some areas which are normally inaccessible, like underground vaults.
The data gathered is also important for the preservation of archaeological sites and serves as an invaluable online resource available to scholars from anywhere in the world.
The project began in 2021 when Southampton City Council (SCC) undertook renovation work on the Weigh House in French Street. The building dates to the mid-13th Century and originally housed a weigh beam, scales and weights for measuring merchandise, particularly wool, for customs purposes. Scanning was then extended to a further 14 structures and hundreds of objects.
The archaeologists spent over two years intricately mapping buildings, including city attractions such as the Bargate and God’s House Tower; but also lesser known ones, such as St Michael’s Prison Vault , which was converted into an air raid shelter in World War Two and The Undercroft , an ornate centuries old vault.
In addition to online content hosted by Southampton Cultural Services (SCS), the team has produced a series of postcards featuring QR codes which trigger 3D augmented reality content. Visitors and local residents can use the cards to enhance the real world places they visit, exploring on their phones from all angles, inside and out. Each is accompanied by a creative, historical story.
Dr Kristian Strutt , of the Archaeology department at the University of Southampton, commented: “Using the technology to record elements of the medieval buildings of the historic town is great in itself, but the outreach aspects, in terms of engaging with members of the public, making material accessible, and the opportunity it has created for training our students, has been fantastic.”
In addition to the buildings surveyed for the project, students from the University have also worked with museum curators to scan around 200 historic objects. Examples include a 100 cm wide Auroch (giant cow) horn core found during construction of the Empress Dock in Southampton in the 1870s, a wax letter seal of Queen Elizabeth I, and a large circular bronze bowl , with finely engraved decoration showing armed knights, found buried in the city’s Upper Bugle Street in the 1970s. The decoration on this particular object is barely visible to the naked eye.
Many of the scanned artefacts are not regularly available to view in exhibitions.
Dr Michael Grant , from Ocean and Earth Science at the University of Southampton, said: “This project has provided an exciting opportunity to not only support Southampton City Council in their work to protect and care for these nationally important historic buildings and collections, but to also develop new engaging formats to share this information with the public, enabling greater accessibility to these exciting spaces and objects.”
Jo Bailey, Monuments and Memorials Officer at Southampton City Council, said: “This groundbreaking and innovative laser scanning project is really bringing the historic sites in the Old Town alive. The 3D images being made available online will make it possible for so many more people to see inside the vaults, and other buildings that are not easily accessible. They overcome the obstacles of steps and limited opening days, and extend the audience to include people living or studying overseas.”
She adds: “Thanks to this partnership project, access to the data will also mean that the City Council will have a very accurate record of all the monuments to aid future conservation and restoration projects.”
Dr Felix Pedrotti , of the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute , at the University of Southampton, added: “Recent advancements in mixed reality technology have opened up exciting possibilities for exploring and preserving cultural heritage. By leveraging the 3D data from this project, we can create immersive experiences using virtual and augmented reality to bring history to life. Users can walk through virtual reconstructions of medieval Southampton, gaining insights into the architecture, culture, and daily life of the period.”
Southampton welcomed over 2.6 million cruise ship passengers in 2023, has 265,000 local residents and a combined university community of 37,800. It’s hoped this innovative project will help the city’s many visitors and residents to learn about a fascinating period of Southampton’s past and appreciate its rich, cultural life.