QUIRKY historic stories and locations you can put on Instagram are being highlighted as a new way of bringing in more visitors to Oxford.

A fresh trail for tourists has been devised as part of a programme created in a new series known as England Originals using 'augmented reality' technology..

Available as pre-built packages or as build-your-own-itineraries, the tours are aimed at international visitors and are simple to book through England Originals’ new website visitlondon.com/englandoriginals.

Oxford is one of three cities featured in the Thinkers and Writers Tour, and visitors will be encouraged to visit a wide variety of historic locations including Christ Church, where Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll was a maths don, the Ashmolean Museum and Blenheim Palace in nearby Woodstock.

Working with Jonathan Foyle, England Originals has uncovered interesting stories about Oxford and brought them to life through technology.

Hayley Beer-Gamage, CEO of Experience Oxfordshire, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be featured in the Thinkers and Writers Tour and we’re really looking forward to welcoming new and returning visitors to our city, to discover our fantastic history, attractions, hotels, restaurants, shops and so much more.”

Via the England’s Historic Cities app, customers can traverse Oxford before their arrival with new table-top tours that project a 3D model of the city onto the surface in front of them.

Melanie Sensicle, chairwoman of England’s Historic Cities, said: “We’re delighted to be previewing these five new itineraries. England has an incredibly diverse history and these new tours are sure to capture the imagination of international visitors. Our use of story-telling and augmented reality gives a fresh, new perspective on our history.”

Jonathan Foyle, Historian said; “England is studded with ancient and beautiful cities of castles, cathedrals, and myriad sites of historic events. Their variety and character can now be explored online and on foot through cutting-edge technology.”

Tourism is big business for Oxford - in 2016 there were 5.8 million people visiting - bringing in an estimated £831m.

The four other England Original tours are the Time Travellers Tour,visiting Greenwich, Canterbury and Cambridge; the Treasure Trove Tour visiting Durham, York and Lincoln; the Wall to Wall Tour visiting Chester, Lancaster and Carlisle; and the Western Wonders Tour visiting Truro, Bath and Salisbury. It’s also possible to combine the tours, allowing customers to visit numerous cities.

England Originals from England’s Historic Cities benefits from funding from the UK Government’s £40m Discover England Fund.