The twin Anglo Saxon monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow has been named by DCMS (Department of Culture, Media & Sport) as the UK’s nomination for World Heritage Site status in 2010. The site is significant for its association with the Venerable Bede in the 7th and 8th Centuries and is noted as a cultural institution for its influence across the western world.
Working for Continuum I was commissioned by the Wearmouth-Jarrow Partnership to produce the Interpretive Plan which is intended as a supplement to the Management Plan setting out how the Outstanding Universal Value is to be conveyed to visitors.
As part of this work I developed a tiered approach to the interpretation and concepts designed to make Wearmouth-Jarrow a ‘must visit, must return’ destination by 2012 that offers a unique and engaging visitor experience of a quality suited to its international significance.
Concepts include the use of word trails and sculpted imagery to link individual sites, a ‘sons et lumiere’ show, and tactile models of each site sculpted in stone and bronze.