The Silent Valley Story (AR)

This augmented reality app gives you a glimpse into the past using historical photos, some of which are overlaid on the surrounding environment!

The trail consists of four stops, allowing you to immerse yourself in the industrial heritage of the area.

STOP 1

The Mournes have been supplying water to the most of Co Down and a large part of Belfast since 1933. Step back in time to learn about the challenges this beautiful landscape presented to Pearsons (the contractors) and the Mourne dam builders.

Your guide at stop 1 is Harry Lovatt (also known as “Mad Harry”), the Silent Valley boss, who was drafted in by S. Pearson & Son (London).

STOP 2

A temporary town was constructed here to accommodate a number of the employees, some of whom were English as they had been drafted in by the contractors. Look around you to see some of the original footings of buildings.

At stop two you, will meet Tommy, Watertown resident, who will give you a flavour of daily life in this temporary settlement.

STOP 3

Construction of the Silent Valley reservoir began in 1923 and was supposed to last six years. However, the engineers were presented with unforeseen and complex challenges which resulted in the project taking ten years to complete.

Here you will re-join Mad Harry to learn more about the issues encountered when building the Silent Valley dam.

STOP 4

The Binnian Tunnel was constructed between 1947 and 1951 to divert water from the Annalong river, which is located in the neighbouring valley. This additional water was needed to top up the Silent Valley reservoir, which had completed in 1933.

At this stop, you will meet Johnny, a local tunnel worker, to hear more about his working conditions in the early 1950s.

You can download all the necessary AR markers to access all the content from the link below;

http://52.212.203.79/assets/Silent_Valley_QR_Codes.zip