Kendal Town Council
Kendal
Kendal Castle is the town’s most prominent heritage site, yet the existing signage and interpretation was uninspiring and in a poor condition. Our commission to create content, design and install new interpretation, was done in tandem with a project to improve the paths, including creation of a wheelchair accessible route.
Our brief was to engage a wide audience including locals and visitors to learn about Kendal Castle’s story. The aim was to integrate Kendal’s wider intriguing history and heritage, in an engaging and memorable way.
Our response to the brief was informed by a workshop session, in which we consulted with local users and stakeholders. From this we were able to develop interpretative themes and engage with the local civic society and museum to help provide content for the panels.
Meanwhile, the panel design took its inspiration from the Town’s newly created brand guidelines. The use of heavy timber sections used in the signage, provides a reference to the long-lost wooden elements of the castle.
Alongside the traditional interpretation, we developed a smart-phone accessible audio guide. This was written to augment six of the interpretation panels and is accessed via the Visit Kendal website.
Abound made best use of the client’s budget through the reuse of some existing stone lecterns and helped to reduce ongoing maintenance costs through the use of fade and vandal-resistant material.
