Brief:

Once the country seat of the Holford family, Westonbirt House has been a girls independent boarding school since 1931. Known for the Westonbirt National Arboretum, the story of the house and family needed to be told, so we were tasked with converting the former master bedroom suite. Budget £50,000.

Our response:

The layout is easy to navigate and enhances the room. We constructed monumental obelisks inspired by the architectural designs of the house and garden. Visitors move between the obelisks and central console, taking in the interpretation panels and exploring display objects. We made seating ‘in-style’ for visitors to rest and take in the room’s ambience, its views and painted scenes on the ceiling.

Feedback:

Westonbirt School feels it has benefited far more than expected from its new museum. It is now able to tell the story of the house and family in a way that engages all its stakeholders and demonstrates the proud heritage of which it is the fortunate guardian. The Head Mistress plans to extend the exhibition to cover the founding and legacy of the school itself in an adjoining room.