Welcome to the September Castle Transformation Newsletter
This month, we feature:
- Project update - Interactive testing, interpretation, evaluation
-?Nottingham Castle Trust news - New look, newsletter sign up
- Top Trumps - No.17 - Col. John Hutchinson
- Transport evaluation - We want your views
Image:?Battle of Britain lace panel, 1942-46
A Nottingham lace panel depicting scenes of the bombing of London, the aircraft used in the battle, the badges of the Allied air forces and the floral emblems of Great Britain and the Commonwealth, inscribed 'Never was so much owed by so many to so few' manufactured by Dobsons and M. Browne and Co. Ltd. of Nottingham,450 x 162.5cm.
The panel was woven to commemorate the Battle of Britain and as a tribute to those who fought. Only thirty-eight panels were woven and were presented to King George VI, Winston Churchill, various RAF units, Westminster Abbey, the City of London, the City of Nottingham, airmen from the Commonwealth and several others. The design and weaving of the panels reputedly took over 3 years to complete and required 40,000 jacquard pattern cards, 975 bobbins and 41,830m of cotton for each panel.
Soon to be installed in the Nottingham Lace Gallery, this iconic panel will be on display for all to see when the Castle re-opens next year.
There are more images and latest news at?the Nottingham Castle Facebook page
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Project update - September
Interactive testing - We were very excited to conduct user testing for the interactive games in the Robin Hood gallery this month. Developer?Preloaded has been working on these games for the past year, so being able to experience them on site was fantastic for all involved.
Over a two day period, volunteers came to try their hand at our virtual archery and quarterstaff challenges and provided detailed feedback on their experience. This has proved invaluable as changes have already been made to both the usability and interactivity of the games, as a result of this feedback. Thank you very much to all who attended.
 Interpretation points - Exhibition Fit Out contractor?Beck Interiors Ltd has continued to make excellent progress this month.
One recent highlight of their work has been the installation of external interpretation points, linked to our Explore theme. They are being erected around the grounds as we speak; in carefully chosen locations, in order to provide information, both written and visual, as to what visitors would have seen in those spots in centuries past.
 Evaluation report - We are pleased to welcome on board our project evaluator, Jonathan Durnin, who will be conducting a full evaluation of the capital build and the project activity plan. The work on the evaluation will continue until 2022, to ensure that the final outcomes of the project can be captured, to include visitor numbers, feedback and community engagement opportunities.
We are excited to be starting this process as we believe we have a lot of knowledge to share ? after all the conservation and renovation of an entire Museum/Ducal Palace/Medieval Castle is a fairly rare occurrence!
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Nottingham Castle Trust News
Nottingham Castle has a brand-new look!
This month, Nottingham Castle revealed its new look and brand with the help of a video campaign filmed by local photographer Tracey Whitefoot, featuring local residents. The videos and new brand can be viewed on Nottingham Castle?s social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn [links].
The first of two videos went out on 2?September teasing the new brand, followed by the full launch on 8 September. The videos were filmed in the city centre, featuring a wide range of Nottingham residents, from families, to friends, and even a school teacher! The campaign playfully asked the people of Nottingham how they pronounce the name of the town. To many, this is of course ?No?ingham?, due to the local accent?s characteristic glottal stop which leads the Ts to disappear. The video then announced the new branding along with the line ?The Ts are back? as the new logo highlights the T?s in Nottingham Castle, which are modelled around the Castle?s arrow slits.
The new logo also features Nottingham?s favourite rebel, Robin Hood, with his emblematic bow and arrow. The overall look is historic but contemporary, and easily holds its own against iconic logos from other historic sites.
The branding also features a simple but powerful colour palette based on the natural world to pull the fresh look together.
This is one of the first steps along the road to reopening, with many exciting announcements such as the launch of the new website, and the reveal of the first temporary exhibition, due soon.? ? ?
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 Click the arrow to watch the film on Facebook
Newsletter signups
Be the first to know! - Don?t forget to sign up to the new Nottingham Castle newsletter to be the first to hear about updates to the Castle. You will only be contacted with the most exciting announcements and you can unsubscribe at any time!: Sign up
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Top Trumps #17
Welcome to the seventeenth character in the series of Castle stories, turned into a game of Top Trumps.
Top Trumps #17 is Colonel John Hutchinson - Parliamentary Governor of Nottingham Castle
Find out more at:
British Civil War Project
Wikipedia listing for John Hutchinson
Please?email us?to let us know whether you agree or disagree with our scores.
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Consultation on transport
More people will want to come and visit the Castle over the coming years and this will have an impact on the surrounding area.?
We will shortly be launching a consultation and want to hear your views on how the operation of coach pick up and drop off points and how the Castle Land Train will be managed.?
In its first year of operation following its planned re opening in early 2021, The Castle hopes to attract around 400,000 visitors with a target of 325,000 in the years thereafter. The changes we are proposing are to support increased visitor flow and accessibility. We have tried as far as we can to take into account the impact on local residents and businesses.
However, during this consultation, we want to hear as many views as possible so we can make informed decisions on our proposals. There will be an online survey and an opportunity to request paper copies also.
Please have your say in this consultation which will go live in the next week or so at:?https://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/engage-nottingham-hub
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