Vision 2025 Interpretation Strategy FINAL PRE DESIGN
VISION 2025: THE WORLD’S RAILWAY MUSEUM
BECOMING THE WORLD’S RAILWAY MUSEUM
INTERPRETIVE STRATEGY 2019-2025
NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM LOCOMOTION
FINAL TO BE DESIGNED
‘The National Railway Museum is best placed to showcase both the historical and contemporary advances in railways.’
Sir Peter Hendy, Chairman, Network Rail
‘There is nothing in machinery, there is nothing in embankments and railways and iron bridges and engineering devices to oblige them to be ugly. Ugliness is the measure of imperfection.’
H G Wells
‘Engineering plays a vital role in the UK’s economic and societal wellbeing, providing quality employment on a large scale and some of the key solutions to major global challenges.’
Engineering UK 2018, Synopsis and Recommendations
‘Museums enable individuals and communities to learn together. Museum learning is already all the things much orthodox learning is not: curiosity driven; non-judgmental; non-compulsory; engaging; informal; and fun. The people needed in the future will be resilient, creative, resourceful and empathetic systems-thinkers, exactly the kind of capacities museum learning can support.’
The Happy Museum Paper, 2011
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CONTENTS
1 VISION 2025: THE WORLD’S RAILWAY MUSEUM 1.1 About us 1.2 Our goals 1.3 Interpretive objectives 1.4 An interpretive-led approach 1.5 What is interpretation? 1.6 How can interpretation help?
2 WHY NOW? 2.1 A watershed moment for the UK rail industry 2.2 York Central 2.3 Stockton and Darlington Heritage Action Zone 2.4 Science Museum Group strategic context
3 WHAT WILL WE INTERPRET? 3.1 The railways 3.2 The National Railway Museum and Locomotion 3.3 Our site and buildings 3.4 The region – the north and the north-east 3.5 The collection 3.6 Intangible assets
4 INTERPRETIVE STRATEGY 4.1 Audience-led interpretation 4.2 Open for all 4.3 Making it easy 4.4 Telling a holistic story
5 NEXT STEPS
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1 VISION 2025: THE WORLD’S RAILWAY MUSEUM
1.1 ABOUT US
Our mission:
The National Railway Museum and Locomotion exist to inspire the next generation with the past, present and future of the railways.
Our vision:
We are the place of railways – past, present and future Our chronology stretches from the 1600s to now and into the future, rich with stories of engineering made real. This story lives through our remarkable collections and spaces, making us the only railway museum in the world that can tell the story of railways in the places they happened.
We are about the people behind the railways. We will give voice to the stories of countless men and women who lived, worked, travelled on and were affected by the railways. We are a home to our passionate supporters and beloved by curious young people. We stretch minds, connect people, and uncover hidden histories.
We are a place of possibility As a place of inspiration and learning and a worthy partner for the modern rail industry, we will be a showcase for the infinite possibilities of engineering. With our stories, collections and public programming, we will influence young people to embrace the railways – plugging the skills gap and inspiring engineers, innovators and inventors of the future.
We are more than a museum We are not only a place of collections and interpretation – we are a live, playful, – telling stories beyond our walls and a wide range of vibrant experiences. By appealing warmly to visitors from across the country and around the world, we will create places that are welcoming, diverse and safe.
We are the world’s railway museum As the world’s railway museum, we will tell globally relevant stories of railways and we will share these stories everyone.
Our masterplan, known as ‘Vision 2025, the World’s Railway Museum’, describes a six-year journey to become the World’s Railway Museum, exceeding visitor expectations and inspiring our audiences. By 2025, 1.2 million visitors will visit the National Railway Museum and 250,000 to Locomotion. Vision 2025 will enable us to: think big; reveal wonder; share authentic stories; ignite curiosity; and be open for all.
1.2 OUR GOALS
Our ambition to become the world’s railway museum can be expressed as two fundamental goals – these are the heart of our vision, and the foundation for our future.
We want to:
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1. Inspire a generation with the past, present and future of the railways.
This goal will - see us inspire a generation of engineers, scientists, inventors and innovators to solve the problems of the future - ensure that STEM learning and content is embedded in our stories and public programmes - enable us to partner with the modern rail and engineering industries, showcasing the very latest developments and highlighting inspiring people and breakthroughs past, present and future
2. Be the cultural heart of our communities, leading the way for regeneration, placemaking and pride in our local regions
This goal will - position ourselves as a civic resource for all visitors – from the very local to the international - prioritise wellbeing, bringing much-needed green space to our cities and towns - enable us to take advantage of the changes brought by York Central the Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) designation in Shildon - forge new relationships with our neighbourhoods of residents, workers, commuters and tourists - contribute to meaningful place-making in our regions
1.3 AN INTERPRETIVE-LED APPROACH
When you change a museum’s buildings, you reveal a great deal about the culture of a place and what it values – from whether we’ll have contemporary stories or changing places toilets. By rooting those changes in our overarching vision and our interpretive approach, embedding narrative into our sites, we ensure our future plans are authentic, visitor centred and connected to our core mission.
National Railway Museum, York The way visitors experience the National Railway Museum will change physically as we build new buildings and outdoor spaces and alter the internal make up of our site. As we change, visitors will start to see our content evolve – to include galleries about the future of railways to interactive experiences about the principles of engineering, while improving and uplifting the way we tell stories of the past.
In York, we have chosen a ‘chaptered’ approach to our galleries and spaces, meaning that we will tell different parts of the railway story, past, present and future, in different spaces across our site. Chronology may overlap, and content may interrelate – visitors may find a story in one gallery connects perfectly with an interactive experience elsewhere or a phenomenon observed outside on the railway lines. This interconnectivity is a part of our meaning-making and will be encouraged.
We will: 1. tell a chaptered story where each space is a portal to the next – this approach avoids rigid chronology or fixed start and end points in favour of narratives that use object placement, design and natural visitor flow to make meaning 2. work with, not against, the museum’s porous site with multiple entry points and myriad visitor journeys 3. create a central visitor ‘hub’ where the majority of visitor journeys will begin 4. improve the surroundings of the site 5. encouraging moments of narrative connectivity, while not repeating content
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Mapping the story to our site
Locomotion, Shildon
At Locomotion, the greatest interpretive opportunity is to celebrate Shildon as the cradle of the railways. This approach will relate the achievements of the past and Shildon’s global reach to the engineering marvels of the future already taking place in the local area. Visitors to Locomotion will experience a more holistic narrative across its two museum buildings, its railway line, and its historic cottages and sheds to create an interconnected destination experience that makes sense of its landscape and proves a worthy day-out. Enhancing the interpretation of the site and almost doubling the amount of covered gallery space available to visitors will ensure that the railway story, past, present and future, can be told in Shildon.
We will:
1. relating Shildon’s past to the present by expressing the significance of the site and its far-reaching impact today 2. working with, not against, the museum’s porous site with multiple entry points and myriad visitor journeys 3. creating a central visitor ‘hub’ where the majority of visitor journeys will begin 4. improving the surroundings of the site 5. showcasing the region’s strengths and instilling pride in the local area
Mapping the story to our site
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1.5 WHAT IS INTERPRETATION AND HOW CAN IT HELP?
Interpretation is the meaningful link between an object, story, building/place or idea and its audience. It can take many forms – a written label, a sign, a piece of film or sound, a way of displaying or experiencing objects, an interactive, a conversation, an anecdote, a song, a conversation. Put simply, interpretation is the work that is needed to make something meaningful to a person.
Yet interpretation is meaningless if not embedded into the museums’ culture and identity. The best approach to interpretation supports the work of many teams – including design, public programming, marketing, branding, front of house, catering, events, learning, and many more – to contribute to an integrated, high quality visitor journey fully loaded with the stories and messages we are trying to tell.
Interpretation is therefore a) strategic and vision-making – it’s a framework to help organise our story and how we tell it, using fundamental principles, mapping our content into space, and establishing tone of voice. This is better if we can all play our part.
b) And specific – it’s that direct link between a visitor and an object, a building or an idea or concept. This aspect is more naturally delivered by dedicated teams such as Interpretation and Design, or Learning and Events.
The National Railway Museum and Locomotion already ‘speak’ with their sites – we simply need to learn how to do so more effectively, elegantly and emotively. Interpretive-led approaches to museum masterplans have the benefit of ensuring that change feels authentic, meaningful, visitor-centred and capable of adding up to a coherent whole. As we prepare to make step-changes in both the spaces and facilities we offer and the stories we tell, an interpretive-led approach will ensure that our core messages are present across our sites at every level of activity,
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2 WHY NOW?
2025 will mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of the museum in York and the 200th anniversary of the Stockton to Darlington Railway, which marked the start of passenger travel by rail as we know it. Celebrating the 200 years since that historic ‘first’ will be the ideal opportunity to reflect on the ways in which railways have changed the world – and look ahead to the challenges and opportunities of the railways of the future.
2.1 A WATERSHED MOMENT FOR THE UK RAIL INDUSTRY
Change and innovation in the railways has never been more visible, or more important. The UK rail economy is at a watershed moment, with the biggest investment programme in the railways since Victorian times and the highest in Europe – more than €1bn more than France and €3bn more than Germany (even though both those countries have larger networks).1 Yet, the UK is facing an annual shortfall of around 59,000 engineers to deliver and shape these astonishing new investments and innovations.2 By 2025, this country will need 1.8 million new engineers and technicians.3 There has never been a more important time to inspire a new generation to see engineering as relevant to their lives and a worthwhile choice of vocation.
We as the National Railway Museum and Locomotion have a golden opportunity here – to inspire young people with engineering and give them the transferable skills and mindset they need; to act as a showcase for the rail industry between rail businesses and for the public; and to be a centre of innovation and inspiration for railways, past, present and future.
2.2 YORK CENTRAL
1 Rail Delivery Group: 10 things you probably didn’t know about Britain’s rail industry https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/uk-rail-industry/our-blog/2017-cp/469773533-2017-12-04.html 2 Engineering UK 2018: Synopsis and Recommendations https://www.engineeringuk.com/media/1576/7444_enguk18_synopsis_standalone_aw.pdf 3 Engineering UK 2017: The State of Engineering https://www.engineeringuk.com/media/1355/enguk-report- 2017.pdf
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York Central masterplan, showing the museum to the top-right of the highlighted ‘tear drop’ site bordered by railway lines
Changes to the National Railway Museum in York are set in the context of York Central, a 45- hectare city-centre regeneration project that will transform the mixed brownfield and industrial railway site in which the museum is located, and transform the commercial, business and residential offer of York.4 The National Railway Museum occupies the prime gateway location of York Central, is the sole cultural draw of the regeneration and already has a long-established reputation as a great visit. The museum’s subject as well as its heritage buildings connects the York Central site firmly to its railway origins, and the museum will be the figurehead of the new quarter’s placemaking strategy.
Through placemaking, design and interpretation, York Central will celebrate the site’s railway history. Railway histories and a strong railway aesthetic have already been established within the Design Guide as a way to embed the narrative of place into the new development and engage with local communities.
2.3 STOCKTON AND DARLINGTON HERITAGE ACTION ZONE
Changes to Locomotion are set in the context of the recently designated Heritage Action Zone (HAZ) around the Stockton and Darlington Railway. This 26-mile stretch of historic railway will be rejuvenated and restored to help realise its potential to become a major heritage attraction and visitor destination in the build-up to 2025, its 200th anniversary. The HAZ extends from Witton Park in County Durham, through Shildon (where Locomotion is located), Darlington and Stockton. The Railway operated along this route from 1825, and was the birthplace of the modern railway system, using innovative technology to become a valuable passenger and freight network.
As the only national museum and the most visited attraction in the HAZ, Locomotion has a powerful role to play. As the trailhead of the historic line and a destination in its own right, Locomotion will contextualise the significance of Shildon as Britain’s first railway town, providing a valuable link between the local, national and international railways through its collections and interpretation. And as an established museum with space to gather, learn and discover, Locomotion will re-connect and re-inspire the local community with the significance of their region, enabling them to feel a sense of ownership and pride in their area.
2.4 SCIENCE MUSEUM GROUP STRATEGIC CONTEXT
Reflecting on its role as a leader in science engagement, the Science Museum Group has defined its mission as ‘Inspiring Futures’. The Science Museum Group’s strategic priorities are to
• grow science capital in individuals and society • grow our audiences and exceed their expectations • sustain and grow our world-class collection • extend our international reach • transform our estate • harness the power of digital • increase income.
Vision 2025 will enable the National Railway Museum and Locomotion to fulfil the Science Museum Group mission and strategic priorities more fully.
4 For more information on York Central, including links to the Design Guide, visit http://www.yorkcentral.info/ 9
3 WHAT WILL WE INTERPRET?
3.1 THE RAILWAYS
Railways were the most revolutionary innovation of the modern world. They first carried Britain into the modern age, transforming the way we live our lives and reshaping the landscapes of our countryside, towns and cities. Today, few countries – between 27 and 35 – do not have a rail network of some sort.5
Railways have affected almost every aspect of modern life – mass tourism, commuting, supply chains for food and other goods, communications, access to other communities and people, even the diversity of dog breeds. So all-consuming was this revolution that railways even brought about the standardisation of time itself. Railways are so inextricably linked with our culture, it is far from surprising that they have become regular subjects for paintings, novels, poems, TV and film, music and art, making them one of the most democratic forms of transport and technology.
But railways do more than simply affect the world around us – they are intrinsically tied to our personal lives. Whether in the romance of a long-distance rides; the excitement of journeys to new places; the familiarity of going home; the everyday rhythms and even boredom of commuting – railways stir something inside us. Quite literally, they move us, in more ways than one.
3.2 THE NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM AND LOCOMOTION
A view from above of the National Railway Museum’s South Yard (left); a view towards Locomotion’s museum building (right)
When the National Railway Museum opened as first national museum in England outside of London, it made an important statement about the significance of railways not only to Britain but specifically to the north of England. This historic sense of place is still visible today. At York, the National Railway Museum occupies a set of former railway buildings that were once used as depots, goods sheds, engine sheds, offices, and maintenance services. Some of these buildings are so recent to the museum that there are people still living who recall working in them. Meanwhile at Locomotion, the site is literally adjacent to the historic Stockton to Darlington line, and is blessed by a number of historic railway buildings and structures. The National Railway Museum and Locomotion are therefore the only railway museums in the world that can tell the story of railways in the places where they first originated and developed.
5 World Atlas https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-without-a-railway-network.html; Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_rail_transport_network_size 10
3.3 OUR SITE AND BUILDINGS
National Railway Museum, York
Layers of history sit beneath the National Railway Museum in York – and not only that of the railways. During the Roman period, the museum site was the city’s largest cemetery and Leeman Road, which cuts through the museum, appears in the eighteenth century as Thief Lane. By the time of the railways, York was well placed to be among the great railway centres of Britain. For centuries, it had been political and legal city of regional and national importance and geographically it was well placed for building railways, on flat plains close to cities and centres of coal production. Lastly, it was the home of George Hudson (1800- 71), ‘a ruthless financier who became known as “the Railway King”. Perhaps more than anything, it was Hudson’s singular drive and ambition that made York the centre of the regional railway network’.6
In the 1870s, the North Eastern Railway (NER) company undertook a major expansion and started to build on a site to the west of the city walls. ‘The centrepiece of this project was York Station, built in the 1870s and still in use today. West of the Station, the NER also built a whole host of new facilities for receiving goods, maintaining engines and building carriages and wagons’.7 To the north, vehicles were maintained in the North Engine Shed, now Great Hall. Later, Great Hall was added to with a diesel depot, in use until the 1970s; this is now an open store experience called the Warehouse. To the south, the NER established a separate goods shed for the movement and management of freight providing a complement to the passenger traffic in and out of the new station. This building is now Station Hall.
1921 aerial view, showing the complex roofscape of the 1870s York North Engine Shed (top left), the Hydraulic Power House (centre), wagons entering the Coal Depot (lower left) and York Station (right)
Locomotion, Shildon
Locomotion’s connection to the railways goes even further back than York’s, with a ‘direct and powerful link to one of the greatest of all economic and social transformations, one that helped make the modern world possible’.8 The Stockton and Darlington Railway, which runs along the museum’s site, was the first public railway to run steam-powered locomotives. The
6 National Railway Museum Conservation Plan, Alan Baxter Associates, 2016 7 National Railway Museum Conservation Plan, Alan Baxter Associates, 2016 8 Lord Waldegrave, politician and chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Science Museum Group 2002-2010 (then known as National Museum of Science and Industry), speaking at the opening of Locomotion in 2004. 11 first train to run that route left from Shildon hauled by Locomotion No. 1 and with George Stephenson standing on the footplate.
Before long, Shildon had become the first town and community in the world whose growth was driven by the railways. It was home to the first company railway works as well as to Timothy Hackworth, noted railway engineer and first superintendent of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Hackworth’s cottage still exists and is part of the museum’s estate. The Shildon carriage works were at one time the largest carriage works in Europe and today, there are still many people in the town who have personal lived experience of railway work, or whose parents and grandparents were employed in the industry.
Wagon components being manufactured at the North Eastern Railway's Shildon works, County Durham, about 1910. Science Museum Group Collection.
Shildon and its environs can therefore be said to possess one of the most complete early railway landscapes anywhere in the world including the Brusselton Incline and the Masons Arms (arguably the world’s first railway ‘station’9), which are all within a short distance of the museum. Visitors can also experience the Grade II listed coal drops and a collection of significant railway buildings including the Soho Shed, a private rail-related warehouse of 1826 which may be the oldest goods handling rail building in the world; and the Soho House and Cottages, built c.1830-32 by Timothy Hackworth for himself and his workers.10
3.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE REGION – THE NORTH AND THE NORTH-EAST
Today, the north-east and the north continue their role as important locations for the rail industry. Transport for the North and HS2 are both powerful arguments for sustained investment in the north of England, with the potential to ‘make a substantial contribution to rebalancing the national economy’.11
According to a white paper commissioned by the Rail Industry Association (RIA) and the Northern Rail Industry Leaders (NRIL), ‘rail contributes around £7.3 billion in economic growth to the Northern Powerhouse of which £2 billion was from activity from the rail network and £3.3 billion from the rail supply sector. The region has an ‘exceptionally strong rail supply chain with approximately 25% of the UK workforce and over 300 companies
9 Early railway stations were not dedicated buildings with platforms and termini; they were more closely aligned with stagecoach departure points, usually inns or pubs or hotels. 10 Alan Baxter, Architects, Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon, Conservation Plan 11 John Cridland, Chairman, Transport for the North 12 representing all aspects of the rail sector. Some of these companies have origins in the region stretching back to the development of the first railways in the early 19th century’.
3.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COLLECTION
The National Railway Museum and Locomotion are blessed with an extraordinarily rich combination of artefacts, archives, buildings and invisible, or intangible, heritage, all of which bear a relation to the unique sense of place both in York and Shildon.
Rail vehicles
With approximately 280 vehicles in the national collection, the National Railway Museum and Locomotion cover all the major developments of on-the-rails technology, from waggons to locomotives to carriages, covering a wide time period. From the origins of rail success told through Stephenson’s Rocket, to Mallard, which holds the world steam speed record of 126 mph (203 km/h), the museum’s collections are unparalleled. More recent examples from the collection include the Advanced Passenger Train, the only original-series Shinkansen (‘Bullet’) train outside of Japan and the first production High Speed Train power car, named after its designer, Sir Kenneth Grange, in its 1976 livery. These stand-out vehicles are complemented by both every-day, working locomotives and best collection of royal carriages anywhere in the world, including Queen Victoria’s Saloon (1869).
However, while these collections are sizeable, impressive and unique, they only constitute an astonishing 0.0014% of the railway collections held by SMG. Beyond the locomotives and carriages, the collections are varied and equally significant, and show the wider impact of railways on our architecture, landscape and daily lives.
Railway technology, design and culture
Track and signals The fundamental technology of the railways has never really changed – a wheel on a track. But how that technology is designed, organised and managed forms a vital part of the railway story. Stand out items that tell this story include a 1785 section of the Willington Waggonway, the oldest surviving standard gauge railway track in the world, and a myriad array of signals of almost every type and purpose. These items tell their own story of technological advancement akin to the invention of the computer and World Wide Web.
Architecture Station design and architecture has also formed an important part of railway history and continues to be a major part of upgrades and investment today. The National Railway Museum and Locomotion have numerous models, plans and drawings of stations from across the country and internationally, as well as physical remnants and details from railway stations, waiting rooms, tunnels, bridges and much more.
Uniforms and personal items The National Railway Museum and Locomotion hold the most comprehensive collection of railway uniforms anywhere in the world, including several notable women’s uniforms such as a station master’s jacket and a maternity overall worn by women catering assistants on board. Additionally, a wide range of railway ephemera and personal items exist, including tickets, notebooks, diaries, doctor’s notes about the health of drivers, albums and photographs.
Art and material culture The National Railway Museum and Locomotion’s art collections are also notable, featuring aspects of rail travel from the carriage experience to the line-side viewer. We hold a rich collection of prints and drawings, 19th and 20th century paintings, and internationally 13 renowned designs for posters. Alongside these creative outputs, vast quantities of material culture exist around the railways – including name plates, station signs, design manuals, cigarette cards, luggage labels, crockery, trophies, truncheons, coins, medals, tools, timetables, safety manuals and much, much more – and we continue actively to acquire new items to complete and complement gaps in this diverse, rich and deep collection.
Collections – archives
Works on paper The National Railway Museum and Locomotion maintain an active archive of railway heritage, comprising works on paper, film, photography and sound. Among these are the UNESCO recognised papers of Robert Stephenson & Co, around a million engineering drawings of almost every locomotive design ever created, and plans and designs for buildings, tunnels, track layouts and railway technology across the decades. We also hold around 12,000 railway posters, including designs by Edward Bawden and Tom Purvis, promoting destinations, routes, and ways of travelling.
Film, photography and sound Our film, photography and audio recordings include the famous recordings made from the trackside by Oscar winning sound designer Peter Handford, and key film archives from British Rail. We have 1.7 million photographs in our collection ranging from official collections and amateur contributions.
Oral histories The museum’s oral history collections are believed to be the largest industrial oral history archive in Europe. These include the British Rail All Change (BRAC) project which documents the experience of those who lived through privatisation, and the National Archive of Railway Oral History (NAROH) project, taking a broad overview of life on the railways.
3.6 INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Not everything the National Railway Museum and Locomotion will interpret can be seen or experienced. Our intangible assets are important to define, as they may not be immediately evident.
How things work and why
How things work and why is an important part of our story – and vital to the understanding of our collections and stories. We will build on our current work to embed Science Capital12 and embrace the Engineering Habits of Mind13 to convey relevant scientific and engineering concepts– such as how a steam locomotive works or how digital signalling is transforming the railways.
Making this story relevant will be key to ensuring engagement. We will be the showcase for emerging technologies and innovations from the rail and engineering industries we will open up the world of the railways today and tomorrow for our audiences – from the latest in
12 What is Science Capital? Blog post by Science Museum Group Learning Team, June 2018, in collaboration with University College London, King’s College London and the Enterprising Science project. https://transformingpractice.sciencemuseum.org.uk/what-is-science-capital/ 13 Engineering habits of mind were developed by the Centre for Real World Learning and the Royal Academy of Engineering in response to the widely reported shortfall in engineering and the frequent assertion that people have a poor grasp of what engineering is all about. Thinking Like an Engineer: Implications for the education system, May 2014 https://www.raeng.org.uk/publications/reports/thinking-like-an-engineer-implications-full-report
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Culture and communities
Railways are an intrinsic part of our human culture, evidenced by the vast quantity of films, music, literature, photography and art. These cultural manifestations provide powerful perspectives on and companion pieces to stories of science, technology and innovation.
Since railways are so connected to our culture, they also contain ‘hidden histories’ – stories that have been under-represented and under-served. We therefore have a job to do to ensure that the story we tell is representative of both the multi-cultural, infinitely diverse story of the railways, and representative of our audiences today. To do so, we will draw on our communities of interest – both known to us and new to us – who include enthusiasts and specialists, former and current railway workers, and our local, regional and national communities.
Railways are everyone’s story – but we must emphasise stories of diversity and inclusion, and collaborate widely in order to research, develop and present them with integrity.
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4 INTERPRETIVE STRATEGY
4.1 AUDIENCE-LED INTERPRETATION
Interpretation is meaningless without someone to communicate with! Our interpretive strategy starts by listening to our visitors (an audience-led approach). We do this by using data, our segmentation model, trial and iteration, staying in touch with local and national trends, asking for feedback and measuring what matters. We use these methods to put the needs and wants of the visitor first when conceiving interpretation.
Audience segmentation
We currently use an audience segmentation model that groups people according to their motivation for visiting. These motivations will continue to inform how we plan our narrative spaces, and the interpretation we develop and deliver.
Our segments are: • Avid Cultural Consumers • Engaged Community Drivers • Entertainment Seekers • Nostalgic Heritage Fans • Passionate Specialists • Safe Self Improvers • Time Poor Aspirers • Trend Awares
Attracting new audiences
As we start to change our site and our offer, we need to also think of visitors who don’t currently come to our sites and how we can engage them. As they may sit outside of the segmentation model, we need to look at their characteristics (e.g. whether they work nearby) to understand what will convert them into a visitor who can come again and again.
Some of these “new” types of audience will be brought by the changing physical context of our museums; for example, York Central will bring new workers and residents who may be looking for a cup of tea or a place to meet rather than a railway experience. Other new audiences will be approached more strategically through outreach and partnership working.
Current visitors to NRM and Future visitors to NRM and Locomotion Locomotion
Museum-goers Museum-goers - locals - locals - tourists (UK) - tourists (UK) - tourists (overseas) - tourists (overseas)
Occasional passers-by Occasional passers-by (people who pop in for coffee/lunch, (people who pop in for coffee/lunch, facilities, shelter) facilities, shelter)
Researchers Researchers
School groups, self-guided and School groups, self-guided and NRM/LCM facilitated NRM/LCM facilitated
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Event guests Event guests
People with specific access People with specific access requirements requirements
Overseas visitors Overseas visitors - York Central residents (NRM)
York Central working communities (NRM)
Commuters - on foot - coming from railway station
Rail industry professionals
Local residents (Locomotion)
Communities of interest/special interest groups
4.2 OPEN FOR ALL
The success of the National Railway Museum and Locomotion will be founded upon the creation of museums that are truly open for all, blending ‘traditional’ gallery environments with spaces for play, relaxation, entertainment and community.
Mapping the types of experience across the site will ensure a much broader offer across the National Railway Museum and Locomotion. This will enable all visitors to feel that there is something for everyone, no matter when they visit or who they visit with.
NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM EXPERIENCE MAP
Gallery/space Experience Primary audience Priority segments
Central Hall Welcoming, All – with the Engaged inviting, buzzing, exhibition attracting Community future-focussed independent adults Drivers, Safe Self and specialists Improvers
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Great Hall Deep and layered, Families, Engaged Community evocative, independent adults, Drivers, Avid Cultural inspirational, schools Consumers surprising, educational
Station Hall Immersive, Families, schools Engaged Community experiential, Drivers, Trend layered, personal Awares
Wonderlab Hands-on, active, Families, schools, Engaged Community fun locals Drivers, Entertainment Seekers
Open Store Rich, inspiring, Independent adults, Avid Cultural community- families Consumers, focussed Passionate Specialists
South Yard Energising, relaxing, Families, locals Entertainment incl. running easy, playful Seekers, Nostalgic line Heritage Fans
North Yard Lively, relaxing Independent adults, Passionate Specialists specialists
Stable block Historic, unique Independent adults, Nostalgic Heritage specialists Fans, Passionate Specialists
Museum Anticipatory, vibrant, Families, Entertainment square lively independent adults Seekers, Engaged Community Drivers
LOCOMOTION EXPERIENCE MAP
Gallery/space Experience Primary audience Priority segments
Museum Welcoming, Families, Engaged Community Building community-focussed, independent adults Drivers, Safe Self (existing) inspiring, fun Improvers
Building 2 Deep, layered, Independent adults, Engaged Community behind-the-scenes, specialists, locals Drivers, Passionate special/tailored Specialists
Play area and Fun, relaxing, Families Entertainment outdoor energising Seekers, Nostalgic promenade Heritage Fans
Running line Spectacular, Families, specialists Entertainment exciting Seekers, Passionate Specialists
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Historic Immersive, Independent adults, Nostalgic Heritage buildings layered, unique specialists Fans, Passionate Specialists
Each of these projects and spaces will develop a bespoke audience strategy identifying target audience segments. This will be especially important for projects with strong narrative content but will also inform cross-site interpretation.
4.3 MAKING IT EASY FOR VISITORS
We will embed a culture of layered interpretation and information with gateway objects and striking architecture and sightlines to maximise visitor flow and engagement. Following the model of “streakers, strollers and studiers” – which describes different levels of engagement – we will ensure that our interpretation and information work together as a whole, leading visitors seamlessly from gallery title to object label. Approaches will include:
- Key or ‘gateway’ objects that provide the visual, spatial and narrative focus of each area - Introductory areas which set up the grand narrative of each gallery - Chapter and section panels that group objects together meaningfully - Object labels that connect back to their overarching key messages - Seating and spaces to pause throughout - Gathering spaces - Intuitive wayfinding
4.4 TELLING A HOLISTIC STORY
Taking a chaptered approach to our storytelling means some visitors will be seeking continuity and coherence across our galleries – we will tie our chapters together with underlying themes that unite and connect our narratives at a site-wide level.
The overarching story of the National Railway Museum and Locomotion is the impact of the railways on our lives, past, present and future. Railways are our core content, but the subject of railways can be approached in multiple ways, stretching across multiple themes and providing a wider set of options to present, interpret and convey our story than through a simple railway chronology or railway history.
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Our primary theme is railways. All our stories begin and end with this core idea. This story is much more than simply the locomotives, the track or the buildings of railways – it is the fundamental story of human ingenuity, innovation and transformation.
Our gateway themes are where our personality flourishes and our content can be made most accessible to all. These themes are broad and enticing, as well as representative of our collection and stories. They thread themselves through the National Railway Museum in York and Shildon, and express themselves across our galleries, indoor and outdoor spaces.
a. Design Design is the first step to solving a problem. We celebrate the creativity of engineers, designers, artists and creators in their work to shape and transform the railways and inspire new designers to unleash their creativity.
b. Making Making, tinkering, testing… our collections reveal a history of humanity’s obsession with creation. Making, both tactile and hands on, mechanised and mass-produced, connects us to the huge machines, enormous infrastructure and vast networks of railway engineering. It also connects us to people far away from us in time and space.
c. People and society We give voice to the stories of the thousands of men and women whose lives have been shaped by the railways, through first person accounts, personal items, diaries, film, oral histories and ephemera. We showcase the enormous global social, political and economic transformation brought about by the railways and actively seek to reflect this in our interpretation.
d. Place The history of our communities and the history of railways come together in the history of our places. We interpret our buildings and sites, and we relate our collections to our sense of place.
e. Innovation
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We inspire our audiences with stories of invention, creativity and originality from every era, to fuel the next generation of engineers. Highlighting the idea that everything at some point was ‘new’, we make connections between the innovators of the past and those today.
Our supporting themes are Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). These themes always relate back to the applied world of the railways and will appear at varying levels across our exhibition and outdoor spaces. We will use these themes to ask questions about and engage audiences in how and why things work, and we will embed Engineering Habits of Mind and Science Capital principles in our storytelling.
4.5 GOING BEYOND OUR WALLS
Our interpretive led approach can and will extend outside of our museums into our public realm. At Locomotion, the historic site and buildings will be considered for interpretation to help visitors make sense of the whole place, while at the National Railway Museum, the external spaces and public realm will embed a sense of railway history to enable authentic placemaking.
And our impact can extend further, to encompass relevant local areas, such as York and Shildon railway stations, and by making links with our local and regional communities. These links will lay breadcrumbs for future potential visitors and embed the museums firmly into their local areas.
Interpretation need not always be physical: online access to content and the use of our online collections database, One Collection, will be woven into our masterplan, making connections between our physical sites and our online presence and driving people to visit.
4.6 INTERPRETIVE PRINCIPLES
These principles describe the kind of experience we want to create with our interpretation. They are our guiding light when deciding how to deliver Vision 2025.
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5 NEXT STEPS
This Interpretation Strategy highlights the enormous opportunities ahead for the National Railway Museum and Locomotion as we prepare to undergo a significant period of physical and cultural change. Capitalising on this momentum will be critical to the success of Vision 2025 – and interpretation will ensure that this energy is directed towards both the delivery phase and the finished product.
In order to realise the direction set by this strategy, we must:
Create detailed project plans for each Vision 2025 project and outline the interpretive opportunities and plans for each
Undertake a strategic review of the public programme (exhibitions, learning, commercial) to highlight what should be kept, improved, omitted and introduced for a post-2025 the National Railway Museum and Locomotion
Identify areas where further skillset is required and review options for addressing the gap
Scope the requirement for interpretation beyond the boundaries of the National Railway Museum and Locomotion
Complete the Audience Development Plan, Vision 2025 Volunteering Strategy and Community Engagement Plan to identify the opportunities and requirements for audience development through Vision 2025
Identify key interpretive strands and ideas with marketing and communications team to enable successful communication of Vision 2025
Identify key interpretive strands and ideas with development team to enable successful fundraising towards Vision 2025
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