We’re using augmented reality (AR) to bring back lost aspects of our town’s past. AR allows us construct digital, animated, three-dimensional representations of buildings and other objects that have been lost to time. Using a smart phone or tablet you can walk around the town and see some of it it as it might have looked.
Ross-on-Wye has a rich and fascinating history. Through the millennia the town has seen Roman forts and Anglo Saxon palaces. Viking raids from the river and major battles during the English Civil War all form part of the rich historical tapestry of this beautiful town on the banks of the Wye. Kings, generals, politicians and poets have all played their part, and an exciting new initiative, a ‘Museum without Walls’ has been developed to celebrate the vibrant history of the town using technology to bring the past to life for residents and visitors alike.
Our Creative Partners
Arcade
“ARCADE – (Simon Hobbs & Zach Thompson-Howley) is an award-winning mixed reality studio on a mission to make the world a more playable place.” They are our technical and app developers for the project and are the people who make the artwork and research come to life on your device. They have many projects on the go. You can explore one of them (Glastonbury Abbey) right here:
Artist: Jaime Etherington
Jaime Etherington is a local artist who specialises in local landscapes in oil.
Jaime spends many hours exploring the footpaths, rivers and hills waiting for the moment when the view combines with the perfect light and atmosphere. He blends his passion for drawing with his love for the outdoors to produce vibrant paintings of Herefordshire and Wales.
Over the last few years he has also been producing work for the Museum Without Walls in Ross-on-Wye.
Jaime has created the artwork for Underhill, the Plague Pit, High Street, the Wye Tour Boat the Millpond, The prospect field guns, Old Maids Walk and The Market House fire engine.
Artist: Jerry Whitehouse
Jerry Whitehouse is a native of Ross. He spent his working life teaching, but in retirement has had the opportunity to pursue more fully his interest in drawing and painting. Initially, Jerry spent a lot of time painting aeroplanes, but expanded that over time. These themes have prompted several exhibitions and a video on the railways around Ross.
Jerry’s main medium is acrylic but he also uses watercolours and oil. Some of his work is on a larger scale such as scenery painting for the local dramatic society and a very large railway painting on the wall of the old Engine Shed in town.
Artist: Julie Cannon
A self taught artist working mainly in watercolour, Julie Cannon moved to the Forest of Dean in 2016 and was able to fulfil a life long dream of letting her love of animals and birds spill onto paper. She tells the stories of the creatures she meets locally, with vintage finds acting as perches. Julie is a co-owner of Urchin’s Gallery in the Crofts and has been inspired to use her illustrative style on the local historical buildings which add to her portfolio that also includes room interiors and wildlife sketches on handmade cotton rag paper.
Artist: Martin Hazell
Martin Hazell created the artwork for the Prospect Fountain. I like to produce quite detailed work in pen & ink and watercolour, concentrating on buildings and landscapes. My style is a mix of drawing and painting and I like to achieve a detailed representation, particularly of buildings, by presenting an accurate record of the architecture. For me, the application of watercolour with pencil, ink and gouache lends itself to this careful approach.
Having given up design work, I now concentrate on drawing and painting and live in the Herefordshire countryside with my wife Jane.
What next?
We have completed the museum for now, with 12 sites, we hope you enjoy them. Where should we go next, what could we do to improve or expand the experience? Use the Contact page or Facebook to let us know what you think.
CreateROSS was formed in 2016, and is a constituted voluntary community group.
