Archbishop of Canterbury Launches Augmented Reality

Fun in a cathedral…?

Archbishop of Canterbury to launch augmented reality trail in Peterborough

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby, will launch a new augmented reality trail at Peterborough Cathedral next week as part of his visit to the Diocese.

The trail has been made using the award-winning Gamar App, already used by some of London’s top attractions, including the British Museum and Madame Tussauds and features hands on games and puzzles such as leaping fish in the font, or playing a tune in the choir stalls.

Visitors can download the free app to their mobile phone or tablet before they arrive, then explore the Cathedral using visual recognition to find the trail’s stops. Each stop triggers snippets of information about the history and purpose of the Cathedral, as well as augmented reality animations, ‘hands on’ games and puzzles.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said:

“Cathedrals are places of welcome for all sorts of people, so it’s wonderful to have a variety of ways in which they can get information and experience their visit. God has given us Cathedrals as places of fun, joy and good news. Cathedrals are places that do exciting, imaginative things, and I warmly welcome this innovative new way of helping people engage with sacred spaces and, ultimately, with Jesus Christ.”

The Dean of Peterborough, the Very Revd Chris Dalliston, said:

“We are delighted that the Archbishop is able to launch our new app during his visit to the diocese. It is designed with a family audience in mind, but it is really for anyone who likes to reach for their phone, or to play a game, as a way to find things out.

“I’d encourage anyone to download it, then come along during the Easter holidays to give it a try. We’d love to have your feedback.”

You can download the App from the Apple Store or Google Play. Then look for the ‘Peterborough Cathedral Trail’ to download. Once you have downloaded the trail, you are ready to come to the Cathedral and play.

The Archbishop is in the Diocese from April 8-10th.