Telford's e-Innovation Centre is helping to create an innovative website offering a complete audio-visual experience of development work taking place at Blists Hill Victorian Town, one of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums.

Part of the World Heritage Site at Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire, this recreated Victorian town provides a fascinating insight into how life was lived in Victorian times.

Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust was keen to find a way of allowing its supporters and the public to follow the exciting development work that is being funded by Advantage West Midlands and the European Regional Development Fund at Blists Hill and also be able to offer their feedback and memories.

Discussions with Dr Garry Homer, Director of the e-Innovation Centre, resulted in the use of modern technology to provide the answer in the form of an interactive website, with training for staff at Ironbridge Gorge Museum on updating and maintaining the site content.  Garry said "We welcome the opportunity to work with a major heritage site such as Ironbridge Gorge Museum; the juxtaposition of Victorian technology with twenty-first century technology is quite demanding".

Now a remote camera at the development site collates time-lapse images for the website as the new street is being built. Visitors to the website can watch the appearance of the new exhibits such as the sweetshop, photographer's, draper's and fried-fish dealers as they emerge from the mud and post their comments for discussion.  Video clips and podcasts are available as well as the time-lapse photographs and a forum allows information to be uploaded, shared and discussed by the general public.  A diary section includes latest news and events and plans, maps and historical research areas provide a comprehensive and informative picture of the Blists Hill development as a whole. 

Head of Marketing at Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, Paul Gossage, explained: "Our market research revealed that the public wished to be part of our development ‘journey' and we believe that providing this insight into the project research and evolution is a vital initiative.  Without the help of the e-Innovation Centre we would not have been able to afford to develop and maintain the new website and we're delighted with the results, which can all be seen at www.blistshill.org".

Based at the University of Wolverhampton's Telford Campus, the e-Innovation Centre was assisted by two partner projects, the West Midlands Technology Network and West Midlands Mobile and Wireless.  Funded by Advantage West Midlands and the European Regional Development Fund, the three projects are part of IT Futures at the University of Wolverhampton, an initiative that brings the expertise of the University's School of Computing and Information Technology to small and medium-sized enterprises in the West Midlands.