York Civic Trust's DR DUNCAN MARKS says York leads the way on 'heritage technology'

One of the joys in being involved with Raids Over York has been that you can never quite guess which aspects of the past will interest people the most.

Raids Over York – a two-year public heritage project exploring York’s city-wide experience and evidence of its WW2 bombing raids– were delighted to be invited along to York’s Danesgate Community School to discuss the project with some of their Years 8 and 9 Key Stage 3 pupils.

History and heritage is not always an easy ‘sell’ to young people. So, it was fascinating to see how the Danesgate pupils engaged with their local heritage. Historic photos showing ‘then and now’ – of the war damage and after – strongly appealed to them, but it was their questions and ideas about how to tell the stories of the raids and what technologies might be best used that was the most fascinating.

They particularly enjoyed the Raids Over York interactive digital map which has been produced by the University of York’s Department of Archaeology.

The map shows where all 235 bombs fell, and, more tragically, where 99 people were killed in York during the raids. But it also details where all public shelters and rest centres were and, very shortly, the addresses of the city’s Civil Defence Wardens (all 2,347 of them!)

Danesgate pupils were especially curious as to how a digital map is actually made: what technology is involved? Where does the historical ‘data’ come from? What other information might the map show?Such interest in digital technology is perhaps one of the best ways of future- proofing heritage engagement.

It channels us to ask what technologies should be used to engage more people with our heritage. Are we well placed as a city for this? Should we even aspire to be a leader in this field?

The city of course has the very best history and heritage in the UK. But York has good form, too, in pioneering how to engage people with heritage through new uses of technologies and ideas. When the Castle Museum first opened in 1938, its concept as a living folk museum, complete with its Victorian ‘Kirkgate’, as a “how we used to live”-style street, was ground-breaking in the UK; decades ahead of British open-air living museum counterparts, such as Beamish or the Black Country Living Museum.

More recently, Jorvik Viking Centre, with its ‘time warp’ buggies that take you back to Viking York and offer authentic sights and smells, was a novel approach when it opened in 1984. And so popular - ever-present snaking queues of visitors in the Coppergate Centre were evidence of this.

Of course, technology has progressed since Jorvik. And, for better and worse, heritage technology must compete with the likes of FIFA 22, Instagram and TikTok in gaining people’s attention.

But York has been quietly pioneering in the world of digital heritage in recent years. The University of York, in particular, is renowned for its cutting-edge digital heritage – with its Digital Archaeology and Heritage Lab innovating Digital Maps and 3D modelling and ‘Heritage360’ team offering a range of digital services to support heritage organisations.

Set within the stunning redevelopment of the city’s Guildhall building, ‘XR Stories’ continues to expand its reputation for inventive and dynamic digital storytelling capabilities through a range of interactive video games, films and podcasts, and other immersive Alternative and Virtual Realities.

In addition, York is a UNESCO City of Media Arts with a growing reputation for digital creativity and hosts well-respected digital festivals including York Mediale and the Aesthetica Short Film Festival and Art Prize. It all provides a wealth of opportunities for exchanging ideas and other creativity and great potential for commercial entrepreneurship and diversification of the city’s economy.

These digital technologies appeal to museums, galleries, and visitor attractions the world over. You only need to admire Dundee’s renown in video games since the 1980s – said to bring in up to £350m each year – to recognize the potential for York.

There are more profound opportunities here, too. York’s principal attraction for its eight million visitors each year is of course its physical history and heritage. But can remote access via digital technologies – as a 'virtual York' as the University’s ‘Heritage360’ have done to boost tourism in Canterbury - offer an unlimited, more environmentally friendly and sustainable opportunity to ‘visit’ York?

The best way for York to continue to appeal to future generations on a local as well as international footing is therefore, arguably, to continue to strike out as digital pioneers of the past.

Dr Duncan Marks is York Civic Trust's Civic Society Manager