Step into the past
Bring landscape and history to life at National Trust
locations with our free immersive app
Welcome to HistoryScapes, a free app that takes you on GPS-triggered walking trails at National Trust properties. Time travel on historic maps, explore places you may not have been to before, and let figures from the past tell you stories that connect you to the landscape and to their own lives and times.
HistoryScapes features three immersive audiovisual trails: Saltram: ‘Portraits of the past’ (1775); Quarry Bank: ‘The apprentice’s tale’ (1823); and Devil’s Punch Bowl: ‘Broom squire’s way’ (1925). A new trail for Greenway in Devon, set in the 1930s, is on its way soon.
Download the app with the buttons below, or on your phone store. To find out about each trail, click ‘Stories’ in the menus above. You can also give us valuable feedback about the app with this quick survey.
HistoryScapes launched in 2025 and is produced by the National Trust in partnership with the University of Exeter.
Saltram: portraits of the past
Saltram was a hive of activity in 1775. Join head carpenter Henry Stockman to explore this country estate.
Quarry Bank: the apprentice’s tale
The industrial revolution was changing the world in 1823. Join young mill apprentice Frank Scott and find out how.
Devil’s Punch Bowl: broom squire’s way
This heathland landscape in Surrey has seen centuries of change. Join George Mayes in 1925 on the old turnpike.
HistoryScapes
Download the free app
