Forward-thinking technology is bringing Carlisle's Roman heritage to life as historians try to highlight the city's rich history to a new audience.

Using high-tech "augmented reality" as part of a new mobile phone app, people visiting Carlisle will be able go back 2,000 years to when Roman cavalry occupied the city.

The app and videos on it will transport the user back in time to reveal the hidden lives of historical characters.

Tourism bosses hope that the new app will help bring the visitor experience bang up to date - and encourage more younger visitors to engage with the city's Roman past.

It also hopes to appeal to visitors who've been to Carlisle before by offering them a fresh way to explore the city.

With the new app visitors coming to the Tullie House Museum will be able to look at artefacts through their mobiles and using the technology gain a unique insight into the stories behind them.

Images on the screen will aim to transport people back to the world of a Roman cavalry officer’s wife living in the Roman fort Luguvallium, which is where Carlisle now sits.

They will be able to see for themselves how the Romans operated, how they brought goods and the Roman way of life to the very edge of their empire, the border and Hadrian’s Wall country - all while standing almost in the very spot where the history happened.

It's the latest piece of good news for those looking to push the city's Roman heritage.

Earlier this summer a host of Roman treasures and a bath house were found during a dig at Carlisle Cricket Club.

One expert described the find as “Premier League archaeology" and there's hope more can be found in the future.

Last month 3,000 people turned out for a special re-enactment of military training exercises which would've been carried out by Roman cavalryman.

Dubbed "Turma", Carlisle was specially chosen to host the one-off event, which was part of a collaboration between 10 museums and visitor attractions along Hadrian's Wall.

Carlisle is one of 12 of England’s historic cities which have collaborated to develop the new app.

Anne Quilter, who holds Carlisle City Council's portfolio for culture, heritage and leisure, said: "This is a really exciting project which promotes Carlisle to a global audience.

"Our rich Roman history will be brought to life and will draw even more visitors to Tullie House’s Roman gallery.

"Download the app and step into Carlisle’s past."

And Andrew Mackay, director at Tullie House, said: “Tullie House is very pleased to be a partner in an innovative project aimed at promoting Carlisle’s rich Roman heritage.

“We see the new app as a way of attracting audiences who may not necessarily engage with some of the city’s amazing historic stories.

“There is considerable potential to promote and celebrate Carlisle’s heritage and the development of this app is just one of the ways new technology can be used to harness this opportunity.”

The app - called England’s Heritage Cities - covers the length and breadth of the country, from Canterbury to Durham and Salisbury to Carlisle.

The new project is one of a number of schemes to benefit from a £40m Discover England Fund, a central Government funded programme of activity led by VisitEngland.

* The app England’s Historic Cities is available to download for free on Google Play and on the iTunes app store. To find out more, go to: www.discovercarlisle.co.uk.