Greeted by friendly staff, I was handed a bag containing all manner of curiosities before advancing into the 'showground'. To me, as a heritage nutter, it was like a pic 'n' mix. And this was one of the main elements of the show that I adored: the absolute variety of stalls on offer. From app developers to storytellers; from specialist consultants to hand crafted cushions. And, after a day of leaflets being waved before my eyes, delving into my bag, I had picked up a colossal number of hand-outs.
The first talk I attended was "Expect the Unexpected" by three staff members from Croome Court, a National Trust property in Worcestershire (below).
- Image courtesy of Croome Court/Wikimedia Commons
The Capability Brown landscaped manor presiding over rolling hills fell into disrepair in the 1940s after family debts. After a four-day auction, the majority of heirlooms and objects had been dispersed all across the globe. So how does the National Trust complete its ordinary mission of portraying a house still in its heyday?
Michael Forster-Smith, General Manager of Croome, introduced the talk, addressing the lack of objects and consequent lack of stories the team faced when the Trust acquired the house in 1996.
His colleagues, two members of the house and collections team, then settled over a current exhibition, which boasts their antique chairs. Although this sounded like a pretty dry exhibit subject to me, the team at Croome interpreted this in such a way to create a huge 3D sculpture, which visitors can walk beneath and gain an alternative view of such a static object.
A certain project that caught my attention was one that focused on a very particular audience: young people on the autistic spectrum. To really engage with this audience, the Croome team became involved with a school for autistic children, showing them a variety of images and designs and observing which they liked the most. The end product was an interactive map of the estate dotted with intriguing illustration trails for young people to follow. This has gained such a positive reaction and I was personally so pleased that the National Trust have targeted such a specific group of people.
Up next was a masterclass in interpretive writing, led by PLB, a group who design and create innovative ways of sharing the past with visitors to heritage sites.
Being a enthusiastic historical interpreter, I loved this workshop. The staff at PLB (pioneering, learning, benefits) highlighted the importance of physical displays, for example plaques in museums. The height is paramount for visitor engagement as there is a certain level that most people read but too low, and the information will be ignored.
We were also tasked on word-length, asked to condense a 700 word newspaper feature into 140 words. After sitting a creative writing exam the day before, it was a struggle for me to stay succinct!
Aside from the variety of vibrant talks, each stall offered new opportunities.
I spoke to Chocolate Films, a professional media company who script and produce films for museums. These can be videos about conservation or images set in the past, bringing characters to life. The company had brought along an interactive stop motion animation where visitors could shoot their own few seconds of footage.
NSC Creative is an immersive storytelling studio, aiming to bring the wonders of space to audiences across the country. Largely based at the National Space Centre in Leicester, the NSC crew brought their "dome" to the show, where I spent a few minutes peeking through 3D glasses as stars and planets hurtled towards me.
Black Knight Historical is a prominent reenactment group. From cave-people through to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, to Victorians and Land Girls in World War II, this society is polished with impeccable costume and wonderful friendly re-enactors. I love seeing costumed actors and was surprised that Black Knight was the only reenactment group at the show, as this form of interpretation is growing in popularity tremendously.
As a summary to the day, I attended a talk by staff from Shakespeare's Globe who use tech to enhance their visitors' experience. Using audio guides, what was once a museum behind the times now attracts thousands of tourists who explore what it was really like to live in Shakespeare's London.
Overall, my day at the Museums and Heritage Show was bursting with innovative interpretation ideas and friendly faces full of fresh, new initiatives.
This sounded like a really interesting and productive day!