National Trust house near Banbury trials new educational phone app tool

The National Trust property, near Edgehill, will trial the use of the Smartify app until the end of July.

The app, which can be downloaded for free, teaches visitors to the house about the property’s renowned collection of paintings, porcelain and tapestries.

It also enables visitors to access in-depth information about specific objects of art and includes a detailed introduction of the house by curator Michelle Leake.

Michelle said: “The audio shares stories from oral history projects, historic family members, and insights into the collection from our passionate and knowledgeable volunteers.

"The great thing about the app is that you can continue discovering more from the comfort of your own home and even create a digital gallery by selecting your favourite art objects. It’s been an inspiring project and visitors can now experience the Bearsted collection in a new, personalised way.

“We’re really keen to hear what visitors think about this new way to access information about the collection and are encouraging those who use the app to share their thoughts via a short survey.”

Thanos Kokkiniotis, co-founder and CEO of Smartify, said: “Not only does Smartify help historic properties such as Upton House make their collections more accessible and engaging for today’s audiences, it also gives the community of staff and volunteers an opportunity to share some amazing stories about the artworks on display with people around the world.”

Staff at Upton House and the creators of the Smartify app are interested in hearing feedback from visitors to the house and invite people to take a survey about their experience.

For more information or6 to fill out the survey, visit here.