A mobile app-roach to Tring’s history

An old image of Tring High Street superimposed onto the modern-day version, as part of the town's new Heritage Trail App

The Heritage Trail App is the result of a year of hard work from the Tring Local History Museum, Tring Camera Club and Tring Together, and many homes will have already had a leaflet about the project posted through their door.

The free smartphone app – which can be downloaded from the Apple Store for use on iPhones and iPads and at Google Play for use on Androids – is believed to be the first of its type in the region, and uses GPS technology to guide people to different checkpoints of interest.

Tring Local History Society chairman Tim Amsden said: “Our town is full of history and this is an exciting way for many more people to engage with it.

“The app has many innovative features such as spoken commentary, and covers many aspects of the town’s history, including its connection with the Rothschild family.”

The project was made possible thanks to a Heritage Lottery grant as part of the celebrations to mark the Tring 700 charter celebrations.

A ‘superimpose’ feature allows users to have fun taking their own versions of historic archive photographs in the town, plus fun trails for adults and children to follow.

The official app launch was at the town’s annual Apple Fayre on Saturday at the Local History Museum in Brook Street.

But it’s not just the app, as a printed leaflet version has been created as well as an educational pack aimed at teachers. Visit www.tring700.org/TringTrail.html for more.

> Also last week, the Tring 700 photo competition exhibition opened to the public.

The Natural History Museum at Tring will display the shortlisted entries until November 21.