Today I felt like a child who was about to make a trip to Disneyland! I had the privilege of visiting Hampton Court Palace with the #digiRDG team — such a treat!
The nature of our trip was to meet with Learning and Engagement Operations Manager, Bekky Moran Jennings, to hear about their digital missions. Hampton Court Palace is one of the six Historic Royal Palaces who have excelled in their venture to enhance the digital experience for their visitors. We launched an AR trail a few months ago at The MERL and we were intrigued to discuss how we could enhance the visitor experience through digital means.
It was a beautiful Friday morning and the sun was shining over the majestic grounds of Hampton Court Palace.
Sometimes words alone can’t fully do justice to describe how magnificent a place is, however with the help of my new photography training hopefully these pictures will help to envision the experience.
After receiving our exclusive passes we were escorted across the grounds to meet with Bekky in the Learning and Engagement offices. We had an in-depth conversation with Bekky and her colleague who assists with the Digital Missions and I was impressed to hear how many different teams they have involved with the programme and working across the different sites.
You could tell that there had to have been a lot of involvement from people with expertise in different areas to bring this idea to life as it is well executed. They have a separate multi-channel team who do all of the digital work and various other teams including; design, marketing and publishing. We learnt about the activity sessions which they run for school groups and had a little taster of what the children would experience. For instance, at the beginning they are invited to watch a video which builds up the excitement and instructs them on the assignment they have been set.
Without giving too much away, Time Explorers is an app created by Historic Royal Palaces and an educational and fun way to explore the palace and learn about different themes and historical figures associated with the site. The digital mission is estimated to last a considerable 45 minutes and is available for all visitors to take part in. The option to loan a tablet is available to visitors if you don’t have your own device and great if you don’t have enough space or you are low on battery, which I often have issues with!
The area of the palace you explore depends on the mission that you choose, this is handy if you are restricted for time. As the user, you are set the task of uncovering vital information which will be revealed through answering different quizzes and taking part in puzzles associated with the room you are in. Due to being against the clock to complete the questions, it may be advisable to revisit to fully appreciate the beautiful décor.
After we had finished speaking with Bekky, we downloaded the app on our own devices and had a go at completing our own mission as a team! We had to really get into character and decided to wear one of the fantastic gowns provided, available for both children and adults.
I liked that the mission encouraged you to really analyse the paintings and the décor more intently as opposed to if you were simply going for a meander around the palace. You soon realise at the end of your mission how much you have learnt about a certain topic through answering questions and reading fun facts.
Once we had finished the mission, Bekky kindly gave us a brief tour which included a visit into King Henry VIII’s kitchen. You could actually smell the type of food that would have been prepared for the Royals!
Out of all of the rooms we visited, The Guard Chamber was probably the most understated but my favourite. The silhouette on the wall was simple yet so effective for the elegant space and I admired the different use of interpretation.
We were guided to the Chapel Royal which was filled with grandeur. Photography was prohibited, however I am always fascinated with how spectacular the ceilings are in grand buildings. I stood in the spot where King Henry VIII would have said his vows, which was quite surreal, and I overlooked the chapel from the Royal Pew where the King would have been seated during service.
I came away feeling delighted to have had the opportunity to visit Hampton Court Palace and grateful for the time which Bekky devoted to speak with us, share her knowledge and give a tour.
Hampton Court Palace are clearly on a much larger scale than our museums, however if we could just take a tiny element of what they have managed to do, it could make a big impact on how visitor’s experiences change in the future.
I would unquestionably visit the palace again and spend more time exploring. Hopefully on my next trip I will make a visit to their Magic Garden as well as some of the other Historic Royal Palaces.
