The Project
The Tewkesbury Heritage Interpretation Project involves the repair and re-use of a Grade II* listed building (The Hat Shop) as a Tourist Information and Heritage Centre. The Hat Shop will form the focus of improvements to the interpretive provision including the Battle Trail and the town itself and will become the hub which will link other attractions in Tewkesbury.The delivery of a robust interpretation plan and strategy for handling visiting school groups is the key to the successful delivery of the HLF (Heritage Lottery Funded) project.
The Solution
The proposed solution resolves the two key criteria determined by both the physical size of the site and also the requirement to ensure that the interpretation does not rely too heavily on high tech methodology, a requirement of the HLF grant.The multimediatour system enables the interpretation to extend beyond the Hat Shop itself and removes the need to incorporate any other form of multimedia in the building, thereby saving much needed space within the rooms and allowing a concentration on low technology, hands-on means of delivery within these spaces – clothing, props and replica items, furniture and simple interactives. It also makes it easier to present the rooms as period settings for living history workshops with costumed role-playing.
The Outcome
Interpretive content is currently being created for the multimediatour project which will include:The History of Tewkesbury, The Town The Hat Shop and Building Conservation & Restoration.
Elements will include:
- The ability for a visitor to look at a building or feature and see what it looked like during different periods supported by narrative describing it.
- Video of costumed characters from the past recounting their lives and their views on Tewkesbury in their own period..
- 3d Artist impressions of the original configuration and appearance of the house and its individual rooms providing the ability to see ‘through the eyes’ of a number of historic characters.
- Video clips of Living history workshops and battle re-enactments.
“The use of multimedia tour technology is very exciting. We believe that the customer experience will be unique whilst the integrity of the hat shop space will be retained. The plan to then link the tour to other key sites within the town will create the Hat Shop as the hub of the experience with obvious associated benefits.
Julie Woods
Tewkesbury Borough Council”
