Engaging families to explore with the National Trust

Like the National Trust, we too value the history and story of a place. Beyond that, we like the challenge of bringing those places to life. Recently, we’ve collaborated with the National Trust to experiment with new ways to engage children and their families at two properties, Kingston Lacey and Lanhydrock.

Understanding what makes a family experience

How can you bring history, art and culture to life? Working with the National Trust, we’ve begun experimenting with new ways to engage families that want to learn and play together. These families, which we call ‘explorer families’, are looking for ways to escape the chaos of the workweek and embrace the weekend as a time for new experiences, ideas and making memories together as a family.

Kingston Lacey Viewers

Kingston Lacy is one of the National Trust’s most notable properties. Shaped by its owner William John Bankes and his family, it’s now home to one of the National Trust’s most important art collections. With the National Trust, we’ve worked to reimagine how families can engage with the remarkable artwork that decorates this celebrated estate. We’ve created a set of ‘viewers’ to be used within various rooms, each prompts parents and children alike to explore the artwork and it’s meaning in a more personal way.

Lanhydrock Children’s Trails Spinners

Ever wondered what Victorian life was like? Lanhydrock House is a remarkable Victorian country estate. After a fire in 1881, the estate was rebuilt and transformed into an expansive and opulent home, fit with servants quarters. The estate maintains over fifty-four rooms, where visitors can explore and learn all about the Victorian ‘upstairs and downstairs’ way of life. We worked with the National Trust to engage children’s imaginations with a day in the life of a child in the Victorian period. Children can use the spinners to guide their journey, but also learn about different areas of the estate and get a glimpse of what life might have been like.