Virtual reality is generally considered technology of the future, not the past.

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But the advantages of virtual worlds are heavily mined by those who study the past, adding a new science to the list: "virtual industrial heritage." This science is using VR to study and record examples of industrial archaeology such as Stonehenge.

Projects are already under way and posted by the Virtual Heritage Network, an international organization making world heritage sites and other important locations accessible on a worldwide basis through the medium of virtual reality. . For example, the Lion Salt Works and Stonehenge in the UK and Notre-Dame in Paris. VR can convey a sense of "being there" much better than archived film can, or as in the case of very old ruins such as Stonehenge, there is no way of capturing the feeling.

Because sites such as Stonehenge are susceptible to modern pollutions, visitors are not allowed to stand within the circle of stones and touch them Preservation, as well as interpretation and accessibility, becomes a major goal for Virtual Heritage. VR offers the public access to places and things not normally accessible, and allows them to explore objects, and ultimately perhaps to interact with virtual actors in an event.

English Heritage, the organization responsible for the protection of Stonehenge and member of the Virtual Heritage Network, engaged MUSE Virtual Presence to develop VR models of Stonehenge in 1995. The models were to be web-friendly and large-scale. The object of the project was to offer the public a richer understanding of the site and surroundings, according to Professor Robert Stone, scientific director of MUSE Virtual Presence, a MUSE¹ Technologies Company based in the UK and founding board member of Virtual Heritage Network. Plans were made to remove all roads to the site. A visitors' center several miles distant would display a "virtual reality" version of the stone circle. Those still wishing to see the real thing would be bussed to a location about a quarter mile from the monument, and would walk the remaining distance. From this perspective, the stones would have more dramatic appeal–they would loom larger as you walked from the direction of the sun's trajectory, which reveals a grand avenue or entrance to the circle of stones.

 

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¹On January 31, 2001, MUSE Technologies became Advanced Visual Systems (AVS).