It’s been a long and often painful year but finally the city’s heritage watchdog – Bath Preservation Trust – has got something to get excited about.
The doors of their Georgian house – No 1 Royal Crescent – will finally open to a pre-booking public next Wednesday, June 2nd.
Though Covid still casts a socially distancing shadow upon proceedings the house has embraced modern technology to help bring reimagine its history and will feature a remarkable new immersive experience that will allow visitors to see life as it was lived in Georgian Bath during the late 1700s.
Using an exciting and innovative mix of digital projections and soundscapes, the house comes to life as you wander through, showing how a Georgian Bath townhouse was both staffed and inhabited in the 18th century and inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the period, by means of images and overheard conversations relating to matters of business including the transatlantic slave trade, war, gambling, domestic servitude, and gossip.
The new visitor experience will also build on the huge upswing of interest in the Georgian period, as well as Bath’s historical and architectural significance, thanks to the success of TV shows such as Bridgerton, McDonald and Dodds, and The Pursuit of Love.
I was one of the local ‘influencers’ invited in to experience the new experience and – while l have taken some images which feature aspects of the new visual element – l didn’t want to give the whole game away.
Afterwards a chat with Claire Dixon – who is Director of Museums and Deputy Chief Executive of BPT.
Check out all of Bath Preservation Trust’s museums via www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk
