Groundbreaking app celebrates D.H. Lawrence’s 140th birthday

Through funding from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, Broxtowe Borough Council has launched the D.H. Lawrence AR (Augmented Reality) Experience - an all-new immersive augmented reality app – to celebrate the author and help attract people to the town.

Lawrence (1885-1930) stands as one of Britain's most influential modernist writers, well known for his infamous novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1928) which has been widely adapted for film and TV around the globe. Born in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, to a coal miner father and an educated mother, Lawrence's working-class origins profoundly shaped his literary perspective and fierce social consciousness, permeating his works, in particularly Sons and Lovers (1913) and Women in Love (1920).

Launching during the D.H. Lawrence Festival the free D.H. Lawrence AR Experience offers the most immersive, cutting-edge visitor experience. Through a phone or tablet, visitors can explore five locations to learn about significant events that shaped the town over the last 200 years, and its most famous son, D.H. Lawrence.

“This app is a fantastic way to engage with our rich literary heritage,” said Broxtowe Borough Council Leader Councillor Milan Radulovic MBE. “It’s interactive, educational and a brilliant way to explore Eastwood and while here people can visit the museum as well as some of our fantastic local businesses.” 

The app is supported by a new walking trail and audio trail, also funded through the Shared Prosperity Fund, offering alternative accessible ways to learn about Lawrence’s heritage, on top the house and museum giving a detailed glimse into the author’s life. 

The D.H. Lawrence Walking Trail takes visitors past on a 1.5-mile route around all the homes that the Lawrence family lived in, as well as other significant sites. Scan the QR codes on signs around the town to learn more about each stopping point, watch videos from Lawrence experts offering more insights into their significance and admire the same views that Lawrence did. 

The D.H. Lawrence Audio Trail is available through the D.H. Lawrence Augmented Reality Experience app, featuring David Amos: former miner Dr Amos, has a PHD on the 'History of the Nottinghamshire Miners (1980-1985)’, offering an alternative way to learn about the sites. 

“Visitors to the museum enjoy being able to explore the area that Lawrence grew up in and wrote about so vividly. The new trails will give a fascinating insight into Lawrence’s development as a writer and will have something to offer everyone,” said Museum and Collections Officer, Carolyn Melbourne.

The Augmented Reality Experience app can be downloaded for free from any app store – search for 'LetsARgo' and download the D.H. Lawrence AR Experience from there. The audio tour is available within the Experience app.

Download a copy of the D.H. Lawrence Walking Trail map or collect a copy from the D.H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum.