The government is being asked to fund a virtual reality experience marking the 1900th anniversary of Hadrian’s Wall – and local leaders want Boris Johnson to lead the celebrations.
A year-long festival throughout 2022 is in the works to mark 1900 years since construction first began on the 73-mile long frontier of the Roman Empire, which is thought to have started in 122 AD.
The North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) now says it wants extra funding to “maximise the tourism potential of Hadrian’s Wall”, aiming to create hundreds of jobs and attract visitors from as far away as North America and Asia to the World Heritage site.
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As part of a £635m request for investment in the government’s upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review, the NTCA is understood to have asked for millions of pounds in new cash to mark the historic anniversary in style.
The bid, presented to council leaders from Newcastle, North Tyneside, and Northumberland on Wednesday, says that the NTCA wants a cultural programme of events “with promotion spearheaded by the Prime Minister”.
The authority also plans to run an international competition to create a “world-leading” virtual reality experience that could allow visitors to step back into Roman times.
It was announced in March that the famed Northumberland landmark would be the subject of the 12-month celebration, which will kick off on Roman emperor Hadrian’s birthday on January 24.
Organisers say that the “packed programme” of events will include exhibitions, film screenings, walks, and more, promising to “bring communities and visitors closer to the people that have lived and worked along the Wall from pre-Roman times to the present day”.
A £30m cash injection was subsequently announced in a bid to attract more tourists to the wall, with hopes of upgrading visitor centres and improving transport infrastructure around it.
£18m of that is coming from the government’s Borderlands Growth Deal, with the remaining £12m from local partners.
It is understood that the NTCA’s funding request, if approved, would represent a substantial further investment on top of that £30m already committed.
The wall stretches from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway, in Cumbria, with the largest part of it running through Northumberland.
