British castle opens up for virtual visitors in Second Life |
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The owners of a castle in the English Lake District have opened a virtual version of their home in Second Life. It is believed to be the first British tourist attraction to open in the virtual world. The Pennington family will celebrate their 800th anniversary at Muncaster near Ravenglass in the Western Lake District in 2008. Like the real castle, the new Muncaster is located near to the coast in an area of Second Life that is also called Ravenglass. There are already more than 7 million residents, known as avatars, in Second Life. Peter Frost Pennington, whose Second Life name is Ossian Voom, says: “There’s a growing number of people in the virtual world so we thought this would be a fun way to reach a new audience. The Second Life Muncaster isn’t exactly the same as the one we live in but it should give people a bit of a feel for the real thing. Avatars will be able to come and explore our new castle and find out more about the real thing.” The land at the real life Muncaster was granted to the family in 1208. The first castle was built 50 years later and the building people see today evolved from a Pele Tower that was built around 1300 to repel marauding Scots. The Castle is famous as the home of the jester Tom Fool more than 400 years ago. Avatars visiting the Second Life Muncaster can see a portrait of him and watch highlights of the annual jester competition which is held to find Tom Fool’s latest successor. This year the contest was won by an American, Paul Garbanzo. The new castle also has its own jester who will make occasional appearances to show off his juggling skills and play tricks on visiting avatars. He will officially launch the Second Life Muncaster Castle with a spectacular firework display at 9am in Second Life time (5pm UK time) on Sunday 24th June. Virtual visitors will be able to follow Tom Fool’s treasure trail around the Second Life castle for the chance to win a guided tour of the real Muncaster by a member of the Pennington family or 10,000 Linden dollars (L$), the currency used in Second Life. Linden dollars can be bought and sold in Second Life for real money at an exchange rate of about L$500 to the £1. Visiting avatars can also relax in the virtual castle’s sitting room, read information about the real Muncaster or listen to recordings of Peter Frost Pennington talking about the Castle. Like the real Muncaster the new one even has a haunted tapestry room complete with a four poster bed and resident ghosts. Peter Frost Pennington says that just like the original Muncaster, they may also open up the Second Life castle to meetings and events. He says: “A lot of different events are held in Second Life and a number of companies have even held meetings there. It’s a way of bringing people together who are based in different offices all over the world. Like the real Muncaster our virtual castle would be a great venue for anyone who wants to hold a meeting or an event with a difference.” While the original castle has developed over many centuries its Second Life counterpart took less than five days to complete. The Pennington family used a Second Life builder called Sven Cordoso whose previous experience had included commercial buildings and clubs. Next door to the virtual castle there is also a virtual railway which has already proved a big hit with avatars. It is based on the narrow gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway that takes visitors from the coast to the foot of Scafell Pike, the Lake District’s highest mountain. Second Life can be found at www.secondlife.com and Avatars can visit the new Muncaster Castle at Ravenglass (coordinates 130, 180, 24). To view Muncaster's first venture into the virtual world click here
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