Historic Churches 2019

30 BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON HISTORIC CHURCHES 26 TH ANNUAL EDITION CASE STUDY 2: Westminster Abbey, London scripted audio described tour for blind and partially sighted visitors. The tours feature creative storytelling and engaging narratives, with Jeremy Irons leading the adult tour, and a friendly lion character which challenges younger visitors with quizzes and games throughout the journey leads the family tour. The implementation of digital technology in churches and other places of worship is likely to have a big impact on church tourism and visitor levels, and although it can be argued that more traditional methods have played a useful role in the history of church interpretation, it’s true that their reach and appeal only extends so far. With an increasing need to entice wider audiences to connect with our churches on a cultural, historic and community level in light of the new funding requirements, the need to embrace digital enhancement technology and to harness its benefits seems an increasingly attractive prospect. Digital technology may use video, creative storytelling, imagery and other interactive content to encourage visitors to see a church differently and draw attention to important details that might otherwise go unnoticed CASE STUDY 1: St John the Baptist, Little Missenden The ancient parish church of St John The Baptist, Little Missenden, is a good example of a church that has successfully used digital technology to enhance its visitors’ experience. It has a 13th-century exterior, with an Anglo-Saxon nave at its heart dating back to 975 AD, and is still a parish church where worship takes place every day. Within the church is a collection of extremely rare wall paintings which range in age from the 12th to the 17th century. After securing vital funds from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the church embarked on an ambitious restoration project to bring the paintings back to life and conserve them for future generations. A scheme was developed to showcase the paintings and their restoration journey to visitors. This centred on a multimedia tour which can be accessed on visitors’ own mobile devices – but not as a downloadable app. The tour is streamed to the device using the standard web browser and the content is held on a compact on-site server. A short film was also produced which offers visitors a unique insight into the church through expert storytelling and creative video footage. SPENCER CLARK leads on project scoping and proposals for ATS Heritage (www.ats-heritage. co.uk ), delivering on-site visitor experiences across the cultural sector and the UK’s largest audio and multimedia tours. ATS has worked on projects at St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Bletchley Park and Buckingham Palace. Westminster Abbey welcomes a million visitors from all over the world every year. Some of its greatest attractions are in its most inaccessible parts and its medieval architecture has struggled to cope with the vast numbers of people wishing to see it. Crowding and congestion is a real concern in a church that has a daily programme of worship and also an active Christian mission. As a solution, a series of multimedia tours was introduced which offers varying lengths of content and different routes subject to the time of day and the number of visitors. Staff can pre-select off-peak, peak and super-peak tours for visitors. Super-peak for example, removes content from some areas of the Abbey, reducing the route length and content available and minimising the risk of excessive dwell times and overcrowding. Some of the most accessible tours available like the adult and family tours are offered in multiple languages, British Sign Language (BSL), and a specially Using the new digital technology, information about the church building and its history can be easily accessed by visitors via their handheld devices