The first mobile phone tour guide will be launched this weekend (17 July) at Weoley Castle in Birmingham, UK, when it reopens for the first time in six years.

Visitors will be able to dial a free number from their phones to learn more about the history of the former moated medieval manor.

The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will include descriptions of the history and archaeology of the ruin with narratives provided by fictional characters who lived or worked there throughout the sites history,

The City council has donated £500,000 to the site for essential repairs to the castle’s stonework, improvements to public access and a new public viewing area alongside the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

A Scheduled Ancient Monument is an archaeological site that is considered to be nationally important and is included on a list of sites compiled by the secretary of state for culture, media and sport.

Councillor John Alden, cabinet minister for leisure, sport, and culture said: “Weoley Castle is an important medieval site and part of Birmingham’s heritage. We’ve responded to what local people had to say by providing better access to the site and we’re using new technology to bring this around.”