Last date for submissions
31st October 2022Date of publication
1st December 2022
MUSEUM OF ABERNETHY
Digitally discover Abernethy in the 1070s - a meeting place for medieval kings
Virtual Reality Exhibit at Museum of Abernethy
The Museum of Abernethy has a new virtual reality exhibit revealing how Abernethy (in Perth and Kinross) may have appeared in the 1070s, when it was the scene of a meeting between the rulers of Scotland and England.
In 1072 William of Normandy, who had recently conquered England, brought a fleet of ships up the River Tay. He was met at Abernethy by the King of Scots, Malcolm Canmore, and the two entered into peace negotiations.
At this time Abernethy was a major religious centre, and the home of a community of Culdees (holy men following a strict form of religious life popular in Scotland and Ireland).
Today the main reminder of Abernethy’s extraordinary early mediaeval history is the tall round tower, which perhaps served as a bell tower for the Culdees.
The new exhibit at the Museum of Abernethy places the round tower in its eleventh-century context. Visitors can now virtually explore the ancient church of St Bride, and the wider religious enclosure as they may have been in the Early Middle Ages.
The digital reconstruction of Abernethy was created by Smart History (a spin-out company from the University of St Andrews, which specialises in the digital representation of history and heritage). The project arose from a collaboration with the Tay Landscape Partnership and Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust, and was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The reconstruction of mediaeval Abernethy was inspired by study of the surviving round tower and its surroundings, and comparison with early monastic sites in Ireland.
We, at the Museum, are thrilled with this exciting addition to our repertoire which adds a new dimension to how people can visualise Abernethy's past.
The Museum of Abernethy is open from 1pm to 4pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 4 May to 29 September.
Looking forward to seeing lots of you here.