CHALLENGE
Letting visitors get close to Stonehenge, a 5000 year old World Heritage site, has always been a challenge. It’s a sensitive site with mystical and religious associations — conservation and protection has been a priority. With the opening of a new visitor center, English Heritage saw an opportunity to give visitors a much closer experience of Stonehenge. They wanted to let visitors ‘stand in the stones’ and experience the mystery of summer and winter solstice like Druids or Neolithic people.
Technology would prove the key. Special filming techniques captured panoramic images that would form the basis of a 360⁰ recreation of the inner circle. The challenge was to transform the images into an immersive experience that could be shown in an area that was often extremely crowded. The aim was to give visitors an insight and virtual experience of the stones before they were transported to view the actual site.
