ONE of the county’s most prestigious historic sites is set to embrace the latest state-of-the-art technology to enhance its visitor experience.

Raglan Castle has been selected as a pilot heritage and tourism site as part of the Welsh Government’s £100m Tech Valleys programme.

Innovative 5G technology developed by London-based tech start-up UtterBerry will help throw a spotlight on centuries past through the most modern connectivity.

The interactive pilot, which is part of the 5G Wales Unlocked programme and is set to transform Welsh tourism, will immerse visitors in the 15th century castle’s history and its exhibits.

Accurate location information pinpointing the exact location of each user will allow them to follow 30 indoor maps on smart devices, to access information about hidden points of interest in and outside the castle.

Today’s historic monument dates back to the 1430s when Sir William ap Thomas started construction, before the Somerset family turned it into a palace-style structure fit for a king in the 1500s.

Indeed, its residents and guests have included the future King Henry VII, founder of the Tudor dynasty, who grew up there as a ward of court under William Herbert in the 1460s.

And King Charles II stayed there twice during the Civil War with Royalist supporter Henry Somerset, the Marquess of Worcester, and enjoyed playing bowls on the castle green.

But the Roundheads forced the garrison to surrender in 1646, General Sir Thomas Fairfax ordering its complete destruction, although thankfully for today’s visitor, its fortifications were so strong that only a few walls were damaged.

Other figures connected with the castle include Edward Somerset, the 4th Earl of Worcester, who had a key role on the Privy Council investigating the Gunpowder Plot and interrogating the culprits in 1605.

In those days, when the fastest way to send a message was on horseback, no thought was given to how to get broadband into the castle hundreds of years later.

But while still waiting for fibre, the Connected Communities in the Rural Economy (CoCoRE) set up by the Uk Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport’s (DCMS) is about to permit a whole new way of experiencing both the building and its rich history by the use of 5G gigabit connectivity.

Through the use of the new technology, it is also hoped there will be significant educational benefits by bringing the castle’s heyday back to life for students.

UtterBerry are also carrying out a farming trial in the local rural area as part of the DCMS’ 5G Testbed Project, which could transform traditional agricultural methods and increase productivity.

It will allow automated feeding, lighting and cultivation, and help to reduce the amount water, electricity and food used in the race to net-zero emissions.

It will also let farmers track resource levels and the location of their livestock, saving both time and money.

The business has already helped the likes of Ascot racecourse, with technology that helps tell course bosses when the grounds need maintenance, and Thames Water at Greenwich Pumping Station, where it is being used to check and warn of leaks.

UtterBerry Founder and CEO Heba Bevan OBE said: “UtterBerry is proud to be working on this 5G project with DCMS to revolutionise farming, helping farmers save water, electricity and resources.

“As the UK looks forward to hosting the UN Climate Change Conference in Autumn this year, we are delighted to be part of an innovative project that will help the farming industry in the push towards net zero emissions.

“We also look forward to the broader positive changes the team at UtterBerry will make to the area such as enhanced connectivity and automation in rural areas, transport, and real time structural monitoring of historic buildings.”

The Tech Valleys programme is also developing a 5G ‘technology cluster’ in Ebbw Vale on the site of the old steelworks, around a new campus for cyber testing and high-spec accommodation for start-ups. It will also include research laboratories, a model street complex and ‘The Box’, where shipping containers will be converted into custom-designed flexible offices for technology start-ups.