Member Article

Mather & Co bring the history alive at Dover Castle

For the first time, the story of the siege has been brought to life at English Heritage’s Dover Castle, enriching visitors’ enjoyment and understanding of the castle.

This new experience at Dover Castle brings a unique blend of interpretation and play through immersive interactive displays, reopened medieval tunnels, and an imaginative new play area. A new viewing area offers panoramic castle views from the northern Spur, and visitors can also discover the stories of the men and women who lived, worked, visited or fought for the castle. 

The experience is centred on the siege of 1216 and events in the 18th and 19th centuries when the threat of war overseas led to a heavy investment in the castle. The project is a blend of interpretation and play which will increase access and opportunities across underutilised parts of the site, creating a visitor experience that is engaging, surprising, interactive, and that compliments the interpretation offered in other areas of the castle. 

Visitor experience designers, Mather & Co, are responsible for the interpretive design, play/interpretive approach, content development, graphic design, artwork, technical detailing, on-site delivery and quality management. The project will see the realisation of much hard work for Mather & Co, bringing together a collaborative partnership with English Heritage, Studio Hardie, Avanti Architects, and the skills of a talented team of contractors and specialists.

Paul Lee, Design Director at Mather & Co said: “Mather & Co are proud to have been part of this project, bringing to life these stories in new and collaborative ways, working with English Heritage to evolve an interpretive approach that places discovery and play at the heart of its offer. 

“The design team at Mather & Co have worked tirelessly, responding to the unique environments of the castle in dynamic and exciting ways.  We are immensely proud of our time at Dover Castle, with hard work and commitment, the results are spaces that bring to life history and storytelling in contrasting and challenging environments, delivering new experiences for visitors to this magnificent castle.”

Visitors have a series of offers and spaces, each with a very different experience and level of engagement based on physical location. 

Spur Casemates

Five of the Casemates have been converted into new interpretation spaces, telling the story of the Siege of 1216, and the Georgian Defences. Visitors can explore the Casemates to discover visual displays, cinematic films, and imaginative activities that tell the story of the siege. Stories within the Casemates include The First Barons’ War, The Second Siege, Life of the Garrison, living conditions and many more. Within the Spur Casemates, visitors can aim and fire at a range of targets with a crossbow, collecting a score. Visitors can also explore the castle's structural defences as it evolved to respond to the threat of new offensive technologies.

Play Area

The new play area, themed around the Great Siege, allows kids to blow off steam and learn through play. Mather & Co worked with Studio Hardie in the early evolution of the interpretive strategy for this area, with Studio Hardie fully developing the structures and play.

The Spur Tunnels 

These are the original defensive tunnels dropping under the castle and emerging out on the Spur. Go underground and explore the labyrinth of tunnels, originally built during the medieval sieges and expanded to prepare for potential invasion during the Napoleonic era. Visitors can engage with new audio-visual installations, enhancing the dramatic atmosphere. Ambient audio is triggered by presence detection, filling the spaces with a soundtrack that creates eerie echoes and a sense of surprise and disorientation.

A New View

Emerge from the Spur Tunnels to enjoy one of the best views of the beautiful castle. Stand where the attackers would have been camped during the siege.

There’s something for everyone at Dover Castle with a multi-layered interpretation suite and experience appealing to a wide demographic of audiences. The new experience, Dover Castle Under Siege, is open to the public on 22 July 2024.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kelsey Mulvey .