• Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley Landscape Partnership, Shears Building, Stone Lane Industrial Estate, Wimborne, BH21 1HD  Tel: 01725 517417
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Ancient Ways

Interpretation

On Site Interpretation - Bringing the landscape to life 

  • Suitable identified sites that can be visited across LPS
  • Augmented reality on-site for phone/tablet showing settlements and stories of individuals and finds from these sites (possibly interpretation boards & on-line)
  • Broader information – video links, quotes from authors, pieces of art, audio & video stories (people talking to you from the past – e.g. meet Pitt Rivers, Hardy talks about view & provides literary links, dramatic recreation and information to bring feature or view alive for visitor.
  • Information on species that can be seen, lifecycles and other extraordinary natural heritage info.
  • Where next links – to museums, others sites locally for people wanting to delve deeper, visit similar sites or see antiquities, wildlife and the stories of people relevant to the sites they’ve visited.

Interpretive Locations

  • Gateway Towns
  • Phase 1 – North Dorset Leader/Rushmore
  • Phase 2 – HLF (recreations + additional interpretation points)

On Site Interpretation - Enriching the visits and viewpoints

  • Sites identified, research and collection of material relevant to each site (3D scans of artifacts & models)
  • Suitable access arrangements & parking secured
  • Actors found to represent people from the past, material agree with experts, partners help pull together story, animation, illustrations & links
  • Potential for story tellers, drama students to recreate scenes or record stories of individuals, events etc   (voices from the past?)
  • Purchase and development of app to hold relevant info.
  • Look at potential for special species across wildlife sites in LPS – take a picture (specie recognition & automatic recording or links to national specie ID resources)

 

Discovery App

  • Piece of treasure to collect on phone app at 30 sites throughout Cranborne Chase & Chalke Valley LPS
  • Geo-located virtual treasure to include items like Adonis Blue, arrow head, painters brush, Hardy’s notebook etc  
  • Each item is found when within 25 metre of a geo-location  – item chosen to highlight some of the most interesting things about the site their visiting.
  • Families email Cranborne Chase AONB with code when full set completed – basic payment for a Cranborne Chase Young explorer treasure hunter (Phil Harding hat) when you get the set? We may consider awarding first 25 for free and presenting in school assemblies for local explorers.
  • Other prizes? User feedback options & reporting? New set of treasure to find each year? Expansion to other sites? Expand and share app to cover other areas?

 

Outreach & Arts

List of growing programme being explored with partners:-

  • Introduction to Romans & Belgae through school workshops, visits to Chase sites and Ancient Technology Centre (drama students to bring site visits to life)
  • Local finds handling and introduction to basic archaeological techniques with local museums, expert & volunteers in schools (linked to Archaeological Pioneers)
  • The Kite celebration project – inspiring understanding and a love of the Chase’s special cultural & natural features by developing kites and banners.
  • Schools – ‘big dig’ event
  • Fovant badges and WWI schools visits and use of existing resources with schools throughout area.
  • Mysteries of the Chase – art, traditions and tales    Highwaymen, smugglers, King John, the French Princess, bed burial, Sumner, turnpikes, dykes and roman roads
  • Study of Sumner, Craxton, Burrows and artists who’ve featured the area – local workshops to inspire new art to celebrate the landscape
  • Mysteries of the Chase – Dramatic arts, visual arts & poetry activities to celebrate local traditions and tales. Highwaymen, smugglers, King John, the French Princess, bed burial, Sumner, turnpikes, dykes and roman roads.
  • The Kite celebration project – inspiring understanding and a love of the Chase’s special cultural & natural features by developing kites and banners.
    Songs and music events - celebrating the Chalke Valley & Cranborne Chase landscapes, heritage and nature
  • Stargazing workshops and school involvement in opening of promoted formal stargazing sites
  • Oral history project – 50-60 people interviewed on their or their ancestors involvement in woodland and countryside crafts, Dorset button and glove making, basket making etc (possibly supplemented by Cecil Beaton B/W style commissioned photos of individuals featured)
  • Programme of Workshops – to inspire and revitalise interest in locally distinctive arts and crafts (button, glove, basket making etc)
  • Woodland poetry seat – competition, local schools to celebrate natural and cultural history of woodlands across the Chase (audio seat – poems loaded & available via download).
  • Study of Sumner, Craxton, Burrows and artists who’ve featured the area – local workshops to inspire new art to celebrate the landscape

 

Access Development

List of growing opportunities being explored with partners:-

  • Small parking areas on droves (for handful of cars) to access sites of interest, stargazing points and start walks & rides, plus extension of Martin Down south car park
  • Disabled rambler (tramper) & routes taking in jewels on offer
  • Dementia friendly routes?
  • Small access routes/arrangements to stargazing, historic and wildlife sites (dementia friendly)
  • 6 Circular walking routes for less confident groups (2 or 3 miles max), inspiring confidence boosting branding & easy to use
  • Walking swapshop with Wilts Council
  • 5 Cycle routes & Chalk Valley Trail (making 4 smaller loops) - Links to Salisbury & Shaftesbury
  • Walking and Riding Festival
  • Diversion arrangements/alternatives during shooting season