Ely Museum is located at the centre of the city in a restored 13th century goal. Collections tell the story of the city, its building and the Fens from prehistory to today.

Tricolor and the museum team developed both the Activity and Interpretation Plans for a Round 2 application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for The Unlocking the Potential of the Old Gaol project. The project provided a pivotal opportunity for the organisation to completely revitalise its interaction with visitors and how they experience and discover the rich heritage that the museum represents.  Core to this was ensuring that the historic Grade II listed Bishop’s Gaol and the building’s fascinating history was at the heart of the new visitor experience.

It was crucial that both plans dovetailed, with activity and interpretation springboarding from the same basis of consultation and research. It was important for the team not only to build a fantastic new museum but to use activities to embed that museum in its local communities so as to build a sustainable future.

Ely has many thousands of visitors each year who come to the city because of its heritage, yet most of them did not engage with the museum. Through the project development phase Tricolor and the museum team established a new way of collaborative community working and a commitment to open dialogue in the future. Over 450 local people took part in wide-ranging 6 month-long consultation. Their views, needs and preferences directly shaped planning and the project as a whole.

Activity Planning, Interpretation Planning