VISITORS to Abergavenny can now learn about the history of one of its historic sites through their mobile phone.

Ahead of the National Eisteddfod which begins this Friday, a project called HistoryPoints have launched in the Monmouthshire town.

Voluntary project HistoryPoints have created QR codes – images similar to barcodes which smartphones can scan and then download information – for more than 1,000 places of interest across Wales.

They launched their self-guided walking tour in Newport in April last year, placing the QR codes at sites across the city centre including near the cenotaph, the Merchant Navy memorial and pubs.

When scanned, visitors can read information on their mobile phones about the history of the site. The Newport tour is called ‘heroes and villains’ and reveals stories of the city’s prominent historical characters.

Now the project has put up QR codes near the Gorsedd stone circle in Abergavenny.

Rhodri Clark, one of the organisers of the project, said: “The stones are easy to miss if you walk along the main road so we arranged permission to display the new QR codes by the pelican crossing nearby.

“The same codes are also on the outside of the steel fence which encloses a children's playground, for the benefit of people walking along Swan Meadows and past the stone circle.”

The stone circle, despite looking prehistoric, was erected for the Gorsedd of Bards - an association made up of poets, writers, musicians and artists. During a ceremony held in August, the Gorsedd gave honorary degrees to 12 people at the Abergavenny stones.

The tour also includes information about Lady Llanover who made contributions to Welsh culture in the Victorian era.

Mr Clark added: “It's interesting that potential attacks by suffragettes were one of the biggest concerns when the National Eisteddfod was held in the town in 1913!”

The text about the stone circle is also available in Welsh, French and Japanese thanks to volunteer translators.