Hengistbury Head was officially opened on 12^th April 2014 by naturalist, nature photographer, author and presenter of BBC2’s Springwatch, Chris Packham.

With the Mayor of Bournemouth, Councillor Rod Cooper, and representatives of supporters, the Heritage Lottery and Canford Environmental, Chris Packham unveiled a plaque at the resource and learning centre.

Chris Packham enthused, “What we need are centres like this to provide resources to excite young people. We have got a fantastic resource in the UK but we have got to make sure people develop a deep-rooted affinity for it.”

Wide Sky Design created two interactive exhibits for the Visitor Centre, a big screen exhibit illustrating the geology of the site and a touchscreen display exploring Hengistbury Head’s “Battle for Survival” against the natural elements and human development on the site.

We are excited to be starting work on an exhibit for the Military Intelligence Museum in Bedfordshire telling the story of the Intelligence Corps in WWI.

We have been working with them on a strategic plan to develop the museum and this will be the first of the exhibits that come to life, providing a combination of exhibit display and digital interpretation.

As well as housing a multi-touch screen, the space will allow curatorial staff to develop the interpretation depending on annual themes during the period from 2014 to 2022 and will be able to display anything from small objects such as a pencil fuse through to uniforms and regalia. 

The interactive software will provide a framework within which a database of archive records can be accessed. This database can be built up over time, providing flexibility to modify existing records as well as adding new content.

We’re pleased to have won a new piece of work with The Woodland Trust on a new visitor centre at Glen Finglas in the Trossachs National Park, part of The Woodland Trust’s largest property and supports remaining ancient trees as well as a programme to restore degraded areas of woodland. It is also home to some iconic wildlife including red deer, golden eagles and black grouse so there will be plenty for an interactive exhibit to feature.

The site will not be staffed but will provide the visitor with an opportunity to shelter from the weather and to find out more about what the Great Trossachs, and Glen Finglas in particular, have to offer.

The multi-touch screen will play an important part in introducing visitors to the site and helping them to make the most of their visit. It will centre on the map of the forest, with Glen Finglas highlighted, showing points of interest, walking trails, cycles routes and great views.

We have recently installed a new photo system at The World of Beatrix Potter in the Lake District. This creative approach is designed to appeal to families with young children, allowing them to be pictured with a range of favourite Beatrix Potter characters. The system replaces a previous system from a different provider.

We work closely with the attraction to maximise the revenue from the photo system. Remote measurement of key performance indicators such as the number of pictures taken and the number of items sold enables us to identify and improve conversion rates.  We have been very pleased to discover at our recent meeting with the client that sales from the first month of operation of the new system are up 50% on sales from the same month last year with the older system.

When we factor in the visitor numbers, we get an even more detailed picture and this allows us to make recommendations to increase the use or the flow of visitors, eliminating bottlenecks, in order to meet sales targets.

As with any visitor attraction there are, inevitably, seasonal trends and this approach allows us to test changes and improvements before the busier times, so optimising the use of the photo system throughout the year.

Throughout the winter, the weather stations that we installed at the Edale and Derwent Valley Visitor Centres in the Peak District have been collecting temperature and rainfall data.

Working with experts from Manchester University we have written software that will take this data and predict moorland fire risk. Data will continue to be collected over the coming years and, as well as live fire risk prediction, visitors can see historical trends based on data from as far back as 1976 – we can already see that now spring is here the risk starts to increase.

This is the second phase of the Fire Aware project which will include the display of historical fire risk data, live data, two interactive games and a touchscreen exhibit explaining through images and interviews what goes on at various locations around the moors to reduce the risk of fire.

Read more about Phase One of the Fire Aware project here…

It’s the nature of many heritage attractions to be off the beaten track, celebrating our natural world and the industrial heritage that grew from it. That’s all part of their appeal. But when technical disaster strikes, a remote location needs support that can operate remotely to get them back up and running as soon as possible.

Copper Kingdom, based on Anglesey, takes good care of its technology, decommissioning it over the winter months to keep it safe but even the best of care can’t stop the occasional problem cropping up. So, when one of their computers developed a fault, it could have brought their eight interactive exhibits to a halt.

Just as well, then, that we had talked to them about a support package that meant they had a spare computer on site which we were able to configure from our office, 130 miles away. They were up and running again in no time and could send the broken computer back to us to be repaired. All part of the service.

Read our case study on The Copper Kingdom…

Working with Cadw, Wide Sky Design has completed the first of a number of new exhibits at Caerphilly Castle. As visitors enter the Inner East Gatehouse history comes to life before their very eyes. The fabric of the castle rumbles and shakes as chains begin to lift the mighty weight of a portcullis. The portcullis appears through an opening in the floor and rises up the wall right in front of them. Horses gallop through the archway below, then suddenly the portcullis drops back through the floor and bangs into place to protect the castle once more.

Working with CADW and renowned local artist Jessica Lloyd Jones, Wide Sky Design has completed a new European funded project to improve the visitor experience at Conwy Castle.

The project is an imaginative art intervention that provides a sensory engagement with moving image, light and sound. An old fireplace in the Chapel Tower is brought to life with a projection of flames revealing insights into medieval life. The artwork encourages visitors to explore and discover the Castle in a new way and imagine what life there was like.

CADW have a section on their web site dedicated to interpretation. You can find out more about this project here.

Wide Sky Design has completed a new audio-visual installation for the National Trust on Reliance Barge, Dapdune Wharf. Evoking the atmosphere of life on a 20th century Wey barge is quite a challenge in a confined space. Soundscapes, including archive interviews and a novel projection system has delivered a fresh approach to the interpretation at this site. The end result is a captivating experience where memories absorbed by the barge throughout its lifetime appear to ‘seep’ back out of its very fabric.