A project to bring history to life in museums across Cornwall has been awarded more than a quarter of a million pounds.

Working with Falmouth University, the Cornwall Museums Partnership will be using new technology to help visitors see ancient relics, explore historical sites, ‘meet’ historical figures and even be plunged into the depths of the ocean to see a sunken wreck.

The university’s experts in virtual, augmented and immersive technologies will be working with the Telegraph Museum Porthcurno, Castle Heritage Centre at Bude, St Agnes Museum, Isles of Scilly Museum and the Old Guildhall Museum & Gaol at Looe.

It was revealed today that the government’s Coastal Communities Fund was awarding the wAVE (Augmented & Virtual Experiences) project £700,000, with further money coming from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Project to bring the total to almost £770,000.

It is hoped the project will help bring nearly 25,000 additional visitors a year to the five towns in which the museums are located.

Falmouth University project lead Professor Tanya Krzywinska said: “At Falmouth we’re exploring new, future-focussed digital technologies that can transform the way in which people interact with and experience museums and heritage spaces.

“Using technology such as virtual reality headsets and computer-generated imagery, we can create amazing places where the virtual and physical worlds coexist, bringing history alive for a younger audience.”