A NEW WYRE Forest Heritage Trail app has been launched so residents and visitors to the Bewdley, Kidderminster and Stourport can find out more about the areas’ rich history.
Those who download the app to their smartphone for free can ‘tap into a new dimension’ and take themselves back to the three towns in years gone by.
Through the software, users can hear stories and see the lives of local characters who will appear in-situ on devices, thanks to the latest augmented reality technology.
As users walk around the different town trails, they will meet the ‘Kid from Kiddie’, Bewdley’s signalman Matt Morgan, Rowland Hill the Time Travelling Postman, Canal Builder James Brindley and many more fascinating characters as they spring to life before their eyes.
All the checkpoints are accessible and easy to reach on foot. Depending on walking speed, people should allow an hour at a leisurely pace for each town trail.
Coun Dan Morehead, Wyre Forest District Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and the Green Agenda said: “Anyone with access to the internet on their phone or digital device can immerse themselves in the history of the towns and find out what went on in that exact spot at least 100 years ago.
“It is a great way for friends and families to combine a town centre walk with being entertained in a fun new way.
“Why not do the trail over the weekend and call into one of the many cafés and places to eat and drink as part of your visit?”
What is on the trail?
The checkpoints for the Wyre Forest Heritage Trail are in:
Bewdley – near the Stanley Baldwin Statue, Bewdley Museum and Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Gardens, Severn Side South, Severn Side North.
Kidderminster – Severn Valley Railway, The Carpet Museum, Rowland Hill Statue, The canal at Mill Wharf, the original Frank Freemans Club, Severn Valley Railway.
Stourport-on-Severn – Canal/river junction basin, The Tontine, York House, Holbrook’s Vinegar Works, J Corbett and Sons, Lichfield Street.
For more information and to download the app, visit the Wyre Forest Heritage Trail page.
Mystery of the green circular discs solved
Residents had wondered what the green circular discs were that had been popping up on pavements.
These are the GPS checkpoint markers for the Wyre Forest Heritage App and it is at these points where different elements of Kidderminster’s, Bewdley’s and Stourport’s history will be revealed.