English Heritage

The richly decorated priory church of Lindisfarne has stood since 1150 and is both a high profile tourist attraction and a site of great historical importance.

English Heritage approached us to refresh and refurbish the existing visitor centre and make the exhibits more accessible to visitors. This meant condensing and rewording the complex history of the Priory to allow visitors to understand the importance of the site at a glance - plus, reinterpreting key pieces and adding fresh thinking to highlight areas of interest. This was achieved within a tight budget and with only minor changes to the centre’s layout.

Twelve red key information points were added, giving visitors an outline history of the Priory.

We wanted to give visitors an alternative to existing text-heavy interpretation. The bright red key info points are very prominent and can be read in conjunction with objects and images that remain in place from the original display.

Dramatic illustrations are used to provide context for the fragments of Anglo Saxon stonework.

We wanted to make these important objects far more accessible to visitors with no knowledge of this type of artefact. Without reading any text, visitors can instantly see how each fragment was part of a complete cross, and how it is thought the crosses may have been used.

Interactive exhibits were also introduced alongside the existing displays.

Together with the key information points and the dramatic new stonework display, new interactives punctuate the existing displays with more easily accessible interpretation.