Access to Heritage Project

Access to Heritage Project at Speke Hall mentioned in Access by Design Page 24

2011-08-26T17:45:00.003+01:00

Official Launch of Sensory Trail, 22nd June 2009

2009-07-24T11:21:00.004+01:00

The Sensory Trail was launched in National Learning Disability Week, with speeches from Claire Roberts a trustee of Royal Mencap and Tiffany Hunt the regional director of the National Trust.

Visit of the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Mencap

2009-07-23T12:26:00.005+01:00

Images of Mark Goldring the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Mencap trying out the ceiling box when he visited with some regional colleagues earlier in the year. Another shows him and Eddie trying the bellowphone. These photos are by Deana Clarke, courtesy of AtH

Interview about Sensory Trail on BBC Radio Merseyside

2009-04-16T12:04:00.004+01:00

If you go to the link below (needs Real Player) you can listen to a short interview at Speke Hall about the new Sensory Trail on Claire Hamilton’s Drivetime show on BBBC Radio Merseyside.

Scroll to near the end of the programme to find the interveiw, it's about 10 mins from the end.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p002nxwv/Claire_Hamilton_09_04_2009/

Access to Heritage Group Wins Award

2008-12-21T14:50:00.007Z

BRITAIN’S deaf and disabled artists were honoured at an award ceremony in Liverpool.
The DaDa Awards 2008 were presented at ACC Liverpool last night to coincide with International Disabled People’s Day.
The event, attended by Phil Redmond and Mike McCartney, also included a dinner, auction and live performances.

The awards included one for community arts event or group, which was won by Liverpool’s Access to Heritage Group.

Ruth Gould, chief executive of organisers, the North West Disability Arts Forum (NWDAF), said: “The standard of work is getting higher and higher for the DaDa Awards, which makes the judging tougher every year to come up with a shortlist.”

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-news/capital-of-culture/capital-of-culture-liverpool-news/2008/12/04/dada-awards-go-to-local-talent-100252-22403316/

Testing the Sensory Artworks,Ceiling Box

2008-12-02T14:59:00.009Z

Kate installed the Ceiling Box in the Oak Parlour, the box contains a section modelled from the stucco ceiling that can be explored by touch, on the lid is a mirror to reflect the ceiling.
Comments from the Access to Heritage testing sessions reported by Carolyn:-
People spent time touching and looking at the box in the oak parlour and liked its smooth soft texture and the reflection of the ceiling. We gained some useful insights into positioning objects – put them in places where there are less ‘non touch’ items, so as not to confuse people! This may mean the box will go on a table nearer the back window.
The ceiling box was popular - They all touched it and guessed what they thought it was. I suppose its a difficult concept if you can’t see the ceiling to start with. Mark thought the mirror was a table. He also said on the feedback form “its good, coz I can’t touch or see the ceiling.” Ellie said ‘ I liked touching it’.
The clocks chimed while we were in a few rooms testing the trail and that got a great reaction too!

Testing the Sensory Artworks, Digital Picture Frame

2008-12-02T14:22:00.006Z

Kate installed the digital picture frame in the Blue Drawing Room. The picture frame showed pictures of members of the Access to Heritage Group dressed in Victorian style by the piano in the Blue Drawing Room. The slide show is accompanied by piano music Les Hirondelles sung by Joan Sutherland.
Carolyn's feedback from the Access to Heritage group testing sessions:-
The group all loved the photo frame especially the models who thought it was marvellous!!!
The photo frame was enjoyed by its sound rather than the images by the students from the School for the Blind. I let Mark hold it on his knee just so he understood where the sound was coming from.

Testing the Sensory Artworks, Mrs Beetons Cookbook

2008-12-02T14:09:00.005Z

Kate installed Mrs Beetons Cookbook in the kitchen. The book has herbs and spices inserted into the book which had been glued into solid sections.
Comments from the Access To Heritage Group recorded by Carolyn:-
We gained some useful insights into positioning objects – put them in places where there are less ‘non touch’ items, so as not to confuse people! .. the book in the kitchen may go on a side table.
The group from the Blind School hadn’t been in the kitchen before so they were a little distracted by all the things to take in. They did use the book with help and smelt each spice or herb. Mark said “it smelled like sweet and sour chicken”. Daniel said “the vanilla pod smelt like bakewell tart which is his favourite pudding.”

Testing the Sensory Artworks, Bellowphones

2008-12-02T12:57:00.004Z

Mike and Jim installed the Bellowphones in the Billiard Room and Great Hall. When the bellows are pressed they trigger sounds and smells.

Carolyn reported from the Access to Heritage Group as they tested the Bellowphones:-
The bellowphones went down well, with mixed reactions to the smells! People seemed to prefer the bellowphone in the billiard room and I wondered afterward if this was because there was a chair to sit on when using it! The billiard sounds were particularly popular.
Some points the group raised:- Consider making the tube (connecting the bellows to the funnel) longer so it can be stretched to reach someone in a wheelchair. Mark had to go ‘side on’ to the bellowphone to reach the bellows, but once he did it worked well for him. He liked all the sounds and some of the smells. They all liked hearing recognisable voices on the sound, in the great hall clips particularly. Daniel said ‘made me think I was in the pub playing snooker”.

Victorian Photo Shoot

2008-12-02T12:39:00.012Z

Carloyn Murray, the Access to Heritage project coordinator, arranged the Victorian photo shoot with photographer Deana Clarke. Members of the Access to Heritage Project who took part were Lyn, Philip and Sheila. The photos were then up loaded onto a digital picture frame accompanied by the music Les Hirondelles which is the sheet music layed out on the piano stool in the blue drawing room. Here are the images which appear in the frame.

Kates propsals for sensory objects

2008-09-17T23:29:00.010+01:00

Cookbook with Smells
Using hardback copies of a Tudor and Victorian cookbooks insert pressed flowers herbs and spices into certain pages. The pages of the books would be glued together so the book becomes more like a solid object with spaces cut into it to hold the spices etc.

Progress so Far This idea didn't cause any problems as far a placing goes. I have been trying to bid for copies of Mrs Beetons cookbook on ebay, similar to the copy in Speke Hall kitchen, keep being outbid! Finally managed to buy one this week its alot smaller than the one in Speke Hall kitchen with a red binding. Its has great illustrations finding it hard to cut into it to create the work because its such a lovely book.

Digital Picture Frame
This idea is to customise a digital picture frame, which would play the sound of the music score Les Hirondelles being played on the piano. The slide show of images would show the piano and the music score, Jasmine in Victorian dress etc, maybe members of the Access to Heritage Group could be dressed as Victorians for a photoshoot? If it were possible it would be interesting to have the music played on the piano in the drawing room and record it for the digital picture frame. The digital frame can be programmed to start at certain times.

Progress so Far This idea provoked lots of discussion to do with the placing of the object. Hopefully it will be placed on the table as you come into the room but this has to be tested. I now have the digital frame, and a recording of Les Hirondelles sung by Joan Sutherland which is great. But still uncertain if I will use this recording or make my own to make it sound more like an amater singing. Will need to organise photo shoot in October in victorian costume.

Stucco Ceiling Box Creating a version of the stucco ceiling in the Oak Parlour, so it may be touched. The ceiling would be set into a Victorian style box or tea tray.For the visuals below I have used the ceiling modelled by the Access to Heritage group made in icing. For the commission I would use a more permanent modelling material e.g. ‘Super Sculpey’. The box could also have a mirror set into the lid to view the original ceiling.

Progress so far, there has been some discussion about where the box should be placed in the Oak Parlour and a suggestion to cover the bottom of the box with felt to protect surfaces. I am waiting for my order of Sculpey to be delivered I want to use white so it won't need painting and the only suppliers to the UK from America have told me I it will not be delivered till October.

Michael tests his sensory Gloves

2008-07-01T15:10:00.008+01:00

During a day long workshop with Liverpool 8, Halewood and the School for the Blind, where the groups did Mono printing and modelling, Michael tested his sensory gloves, the gloves pick up sounds from touch. Michael is going to collect all the sounds picked up by the gloves and sounds from our workshops to create music with them .
The picture below shows Kevin modelling plastercine food wearing a glove. The picture below shows Mark drawing on his inked monoprint plate while wearing a sensory glove.
Michael also took small groups wearing Tudor costume to record sounds around Speke Hall for example they recorded the sound of stroking the bark of the ancient Yew trees Adam and Eve. The images below show the group from the school for the blind in costume about to start their tour. The first one is Chris ready for the tour with hat, cape and wooden sword.

Daniel in ruff and cape.
Mark wearing hat and cap.

The clip below shows Michael explaining about his sensory glove while Kevin models food wearing one of the gloves.

Modelling food workshop inspired by the kitchen and dining room displays in Speke Hall

2008-07-01T14:46:00.006+01:00

In a day long workshop with Liverpool 8, Halewood, The School for the Blind, Kate, Jim and Michael, the groups created models of food inspired from the displays in Speke Hall using plastercine to model with, they also did monoprinting documented in the next post.
The picture below shows modelled cakes by Liz a slice of cake by Lilla and a cake by Chris. Lilla made a Ham.
Liz and Phillip modelling suasages.

Kevin made a pork pie.
The picture below shows Chris modelling a fried egg.
Lila made a plait loaf, bread by Phillip and cheese and biscuits.
The picture below shows Susanne and her modelled Victoria Sponge.

Mono Printworkshop inspired by the Tudor architecture of Speke Hall

2008-07-01T13:21:00.011+01:00

Heres the group inking up foam to create the black beams on the outside of Speke Hall.The picture below shows Susanne and Jim inking sheets of perspex ready to draw onto.
The picture below shows Liz inking up foam to make a repeating pattern on wallpaper.The pic below shows the print being rolled on the back by Daniel to make an even printLiverpool 8, Halewood and the School for the Blind participated in a day long workshop with Kate, Jim and Michael creating mono prints and modelling food. The prints were made using tape to make the straight line shapes, feathers to create wood textures and foam to make black wood shapes. The pictures below show some of the finished prints.

Phillips monoprint.

Liverpool 8 bake Tudor Pies with Jim

2008-06-12T23:39:00.004+01:00

Liverpool 8 making Tudor pies with Jim, ingredients included apples, sugar and spices, with pastry pie tops decorated in the Tudor style. The black wood panels, and white wattle and daub walls which decorate Speke Hall were made in pastry. I heard they were delicious

Measuring the Trees Adam and Eve with School for blind and Dovecote

2008-06-12T23:05:00.011+01:00

This video shows groups from the School for the Blind and Dovecote during our sensory tour measuring the Yew trees in the courtyard of Speke Hall with people. The idea was that the number of people would tell us how old the tree was, it also gave us an opportunity to feel the trunk of the tree. Mark commented it was like giving your aunties a hug!

More from the Sensory tour with the School for Blind and Dovecote

2008-06-03T23:14:00.004+01:00

Linda feeling a lace handkerchief.

Clock workshop with Halewood and Kate

2008-05-31T21:40:00.005+01:00

Halewood and Kate made a tour of Speke Hall looking at the many clocks in the house. Barry took photos of the clocks with the Polaroid camera so we could refer to them back in the education room. The next 3 images show some of the clocks photographed. The group found the clock above interesting as it showed the day, date and temperature too.
The tick tock of the clocks seem to get louder when we stopped to listen to them.
The group were keen on the decorative and patterning of many of the clocks.

The group made their own versions of clocks they made some from paper and some from real clocks that worked.
The picture below shows Jo with her paper clock, she made a Liverpool clock, showing landmarks of Liverpool and John Lennon's glasses.

The picture below shows Eddy with his clock Barry helped him with the horse decorations.
Halewood group hard at work on the clock workshop.
Barrys working clock with faces of the group.

Below is Eddys paper clock with many hands and faces.
Toms paper clock which he signed, we noticed that many of the clocks in Speke Hall had the makers name on the face and many were made in Liverpool.
Toms real clock this was made using an aluminium steel pastry cutter to make it more 3D and collaging clock face from one of the Speke Hall clocks. Barrys paper clock used sand and glitter to create texture.

Sensory Tour with School for Blind, Dovecote, Michael, James and Kate

2008-05-24T13:49:00.022+01:00

The School for the Blind and Dovecote went on a sensory tour of Speke Hall which gave the James Michael and Kate a chance to link sensory objects to each of the rooms. We had plastic tubes containing different smells such as the smell of coal, cigars, gunpowder, whiskey, vanilla, rose petals, old books, sounds including billiards being played and gunshot, the touch of real fur, crocheted lace table cloths and the taste of rose, violet and mint imperial sweets. The picture below shows Mark using a violin bow on a metal cup in the main hall it made a high pitched sound.
These pictures show Ellie and Mark touching real fur by the mounted Jennet in the corridor.

Here's the group outside listening to Jasmin talking about the construction of the house and where we could feel the wood and the wattle and daub the group enjoyed finding out one of the ingredients of Wattle and Daub is cow poo! We also measured how old the Yew tree was by seeing how many people it took to from a circle around it. One of the group mentioned later that the wood panelling made the outline of an aeroplane.

Below are Chris and Linda in the Billiard room, Michael had recorded the sound of Billiards being played and James passed round whisky on cotton wool, and cigars to smell.
Here's the group in the dining room, they felt the sandstone fire place, they also felt some crochet of a table cloth. On the other side of the room was the barrel organ and the group played miniature musical boxes that work in a similar way to the barrel organ.

In the Great Hall Fireplace James used a pair of bellows so the group could feel the air on their hands and described how the bellows would get the fire going, some mentioned they could smell the leather of the bellows and Mark said it sounded like a mouse squeaking. The group also got to smell some coal here.
We found that following the tour with multi sensory objects took allot longer than a normal tour, we had to miss out some rooms so we took some of the smells and sounds back to the education room for the group to experience. The picture below shows ginger being sniffed.

Mark sniffing bay leaves which he said reminded him of curry, when he smelt the old books he said it reminded him of a sack of potatoes.
Here's the group sniffing different smells from the Kitchen, vanilla and lemon.
This picture shows Michael and James exploring the possibility of wafting smells out with the bellows before our tour.
Shelia was asked to photograph each room with a Polaroid camera so we had an instant visual record of each room. Here Theresa and Linda are holding the developing pictures.
After the tour we asked the group what they could remember from each room then we made a map of their memories using the Polaroids and smells James wrote down the group memories he also asked what shape the rooms were. Some of the group were scared of the sound of the gun shooting but others liked it.
The picture below shows an interesting drawing Chris made as a memory map he remembered lots of things including the feeling the stags horn while looking at the clothes stand made from stags horns, the floor with crosses and the smell of the books in the library.

Video below shows sounds from the Great Hall. The group used a violin bow to play a metal cup Mark thought it sounded like the brakes on a bus. Michael also played a recording of an orchestra tuning up ready to play as he imagined the sounds of a performance in the hall which has a minstrels gallery where the musicians would have played.

The video below shows the group sniffing books dating from the 1850's they thought some smelled of gravy!

The video below shows the group playing musical boxes that have a similar way of working as the barrel organ in the dining room.

In the video below the group are in the Billiard room, the group waiting for a Polaroid to develop hear the sound of billiard/snooker being played.

The video below shows the group in the Billiard room smelling brandy and whisky, Mark said it smelt like Christmas dinner.

The video below shows Linda in the Oak Parlour feeling the breeze from a fan, we imagined ladies having tea might have fanned themselves.

The video below shows the group in the Gunroom, there are no guns kept in it anymore but Michael played the sound of a shot gun being fired. The sound scared some of the group, it made Mark jump but Ellie said she enjoyed hearing it.

Wallpaper and Ceiling Workshop with Liverpool 8, Halewood and Kate

2008-05-23T17:47:00.001+01:00

There were two workshop activities developed from our tours of Speke Hall. One workshop to make William Morris inspired daisy and fruit wallpaper from pressed flowers and real fruit. The second activity was to make a ceiling from cake icing inspired by the plaster ceiling in the Oak drawing room. Some of the group also used the pressed flowers to make cards.

The picture below shows a photo of the ceiling in Speke Halls Oak Drawing Room and one of the group making an icing version.

All the icing ceilings together.
Working with the icing to make the ceiling.
Below Susanne is using pastry cutters to make leaf shapes.
Some finished cards with pressed flowers.

This is Barrys finished iced ceiling see the video of him working on it at the end of this text.

Brenda suggested mixing the flowers and fruit and printing with the cut Pomegranates. The picture above shows Lila pressing the Pomegranate onto the wallpaper you can also see this in the video at the end of this text.

Jess pointing out flowers as Sheila and Liz arrange them on the wallpaper.

The film clip shows Barry working on his iced ceiling.

The clip below shows the group making William Morris inspired floral and fruit wallpaper.

Ideas for workshops

2008-05-11T23:40:00.000+01:00

We discussed after the tour about developing a multi sensory tour with the school for the blind.
Ideas included bringing objects, smells and sounds etc on the tour of the house eg sounds of clock ticking, billiards, smell of cigars, herbs, a Lilly, eating a sugar lump, mint, touching a hair brush, soot, ring of a bell. Could we ask the tour to describe a sensory map after the tour, could we relate this to pictures of the rooms, record their descriptions.

Tour of the hall, Kate Allen, James Loftus and Michael Loftus with the Liverpool 8 Group

2008-05-11T23:08:00.001+01:00

Liverpool 8 group tour Speke Hall, Brenda and Shelia getting the camera ready.

The group asked about this dish and were told it was Cantonese. It has images of musicians playing I wonder what the music would sound like? This is the reproduction of Miss Watts book the group liked the text I imagined smelling the lilies
Shelia asked me to photograph somethings.
Lila kept running her fingers over this handwriting.

Lila liked the drawings on the resource table of the vines which we realised were sketches for the plaster ceiling. She followed the vine patterns with her fingers.

Liverpool 8 group also liked clock faces.

Tour the hall, Kate Allen with Dovecot & Halewood groups

2008-05-11T22:01:00.001+01:00

Several members of the group noticed clocks in the hall, Linda said I "I have one at home"The group enjoyed looking at the pictures on the table, good wheelchair height for Barry and somethings they were allowed to touch. They all liked and noticed patterns alot during the visit from the woodcarvings to the wallpaper. Below is Dawn in the Gun Room. Her favorite room was one of the bedrooms upstairs with the cot and the brushes she remembered being allowed to sit on the bed when she visited as a child, she seemed to be able to elaborate on the experience creating the idea of a past life where she had been a child from the past and said she believed in ghosts. She would like it if there was a brush she was allowed to hold in the room. Wheelchair view point, clock and dining table.
In the Billiard room another wheelchair viewpoint with the volunteer telling about Frederick Leyland. I really liked the repetition of the lamps. Group photos from the first group tour with Kate. The picture below is the group hearing about the carving of the tudor family.
The group in the great hall.
Group in the gun room.
Pic below shows Jess showing the group the tudor methods of showing respect.