BCD Special Report on
Historic Churches
17th annual edition
27
Seeing and
Believing
The use of virtual models of historic churches
Kate Giles, Anthony Masinton and Geof Arnott
I
n recent
years, heritage organisations
have begun to explore new ways of engaging
with visitors to historic buildings and
enhancing the visitor experience. Tis has
included the use of costumed guides, live
displays and re-enactments and, increasingly,
the use of audio-visual technology in guided
head-set tours, displays and virtual reality
(VR) models. Te increasing use of ‘e-heritage’
is, of course, not without its critics. It will
engage some audiences but it can alienate
others. Te use of technology also brings with
it a host of issues relating to the authority
and reliability of digital data, which have
been debated extensively by academics and
professionals working in these felds.
How relevant are these developments
and debates for historic churches? It could be
argued that the use of technology detracts from
the very particular and much-loved essence
of the church-visiting experience: the sense
of stillness and calm which pervades church
buildings, ofering an opportunity for prayer
and refection in a space removed from the
hustle and bustle of modern, technologically-
saturated life. Moreover, although many of
the major cathedrals are now beginning to
explore the potential of such technologies,
the cost and technical expertise required to
produce and maintain these resources places
them beyond the reach of most smaller parish
churches. Here, the major source of information
continues to be printed guidebooks and local
history displays. Understandably, parish eforts
to bring visitors into churches have tended to
focus more on outreach and mission-related
activities, rather than scholarly displays about
the history and meaning of church buildings.
So what role is there for technology
to inform and enhance our understanding
and experience of church buildings? Recent
initiatives, such as the DVD-ROMTe
English Parish Church Trough the Centuries
produced by the Centre for Christianity
and Culture at York, have sought to create
accessible scholarly resources which can be
used to help parishes explain the signifcance
and meaning of church buildings to the wider
public, partly through the use of VR models.
Two recent projects, both discussed below,
have also sought to develop digital models of
ecclesiastical sites: Holy Trinity parish church,
Micklegate, York and the Guild Chapel at
Stratford-upon-Avon. Both projects are the
result of collaboration between the parishes and
charities maintaining the buildings, academics
working within the Department of Archaeology
at the University of York, and Heritage
Technology Limited, a company specialising in
the archaeologically-informed reconstruction
of historic buildings and landscapes.
Holy Trinity, Micklegate, York
(Anthony Masinton and Geof Arnott)
Of the 19 surviving medieval parish churches
in the city of York, one of the most surprising
is Holy Trinity, Micklegate. Tis unassuming
church is set back from a busy street in the
shade of its churchyard trees. Te most
notable feature of its exterior is the parish
stocks beside the churchyard gate. Once
inside, however, one has the strong impression
that its remarkable interior is far larger than
the exterior. It is immediately apparent that
this church has a fascinating story to tell.
Te Holy Trinity PCC has been engaged in
a long-term mission of neighbourhood renewal
with its church building at the centre. Te
programme includes an exhibition, ‘Te Monks
of Micklegate’, which is free and open daily.
Te exhibition tells the story of Holy Trinity’s
past. In 2009 the PCC approached Heritage
Technology and the University of York’s Centre
for Christianity and Culture with a project
centred on a digital reconstruction of the
church’s development from the late Middle Ages
to the present. In September 2010 the frst part
of the digital Holy Trinity project was launched.
Digital reconstruction of the Guild Chapel, Stratford-upon-Avon looking east. Te image shows ‘Te Last Judgement’
over the chancel arch, and ‘Te Dance of Death’ on the north wall of the nave. (Image: Geof Arnott/Heritage Technology)