This is the slideshow I gave at the Sheriff’s Commission yesterday. The 17 words show what I thought were the differentiation in a world class attraction – and this is explored in photographs. The show finishes with some ideas about how we might transfer some of the ideas to Nottingham We are welcoming comments!
Oct
17
2009
I’ve been mulling things over since Friday, and therefore it was really good to have another look at your presentation.
The 17 words are powerful and are an excellent starting point. I think that we should bear these in mind as we look at attractions closer to home. Our Robin Hood experience is to be castle centric and so I wonder what is on offer from the current UK castle experiences. A mixed bag, probably. However, friends from Kent tell me that the Henry II focus at the recently refurbished Dover Castle is stunning. We can compare this with castles such as Warwick, Edinburgh and Cardiff where there’s been significant investment to create experiences where myth and legend share centre stage with evidenced historical facts. I think it will be necessary to broaden the Robin Hood story so that we can include historical facts – Ted’s initial thoughts on Rebellion (Chartist movement, Civil War, Corn Act riots etc) – is one example that would give our experience more facts and substance and the uniqueness that we’re looking for.
This summer I visited the Tower of London to view the Henry VIII armoury, which was stunning. I was reminded again elsewhere on the Tower site how interpretation boards can get round having little evidence for well-known stories (eg the young Princes killed in the Tower). Personally, I found this very disappointing, but it doesn’t seem to put people off. Later in the summer I visited the British Library to see the Richard Starkey curated exhibition about Henry VIII. The ‘connectivity’ between the Tower of London, the British Library and Hampton Court was very strong and heavily promoted at each venue and elsewhere with joint tickets and offers. I have no doubt that if something can be connected right across London and the south east, then we can link something similar with Robin Hood/Rebellion throughout the city and county.
Finally your comment about volunteers. We had absolutely no problem in getting volunteers to turn up to help at the cricket matches at Trent Bridge this summer. If we offer something that people are excited and proud about, then they turn up.
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