Landguard Fort

Creating a historical timeline, to become the focal point for the fort’s visitor experience.

Fortifications have existed at Landguard since the 16th century. The existing fort was built between 1745 and 1750 and significantly modified in the 1870s. The visible remains present an unusually complete physical record of developments in military engineering, plus the response to perceived changes in coastal defence requirements over a period of more than 200 years. Our task was to work with volunteer team at the fort to condense this complex history into a single linear timeline that was both highly informative and visually engaging.

The existing room (originally barracks) was rather cluttered and dated, with information presented in an inconsistent and fragmented way due to how it had evolved over time. As this new experience was to form the starting point of tours and school visits, we identified that it was essential to have a clear central circulation space, and that a continuous linear timeline would be highly effective. As the overall budget was relatively modest, a collaborative approach was agreed upon. Maltings created the overall vision, structural designs, graphic designs and illustrations, while the fort’s volunteers contributed the written content and the construction tasks. Our creative concept was to develop a timeline that delivered the fort’s history contextualised with national and global events. Service personnel figures were illustrated in range period specific styles, and architectural reconstruction drawings were created to show the stages of construction of the fortifications. All graphic work was integrated with the existing brand identity and visual language that had been created by the fort’s volunteer team. It had already been applied widely throughout the other visitor areas so needed to be suitably referenced and respected.

The structures were designed to be fabricated on-site in a modular way, using simple standard materials. It was important that construction work could be carried out by the fort’s own maintenance team in their workshops, as this allowed the room to continue to function for as long as possible without disruption, prior to the new display’s introduction. The final installation carried a continuous 20 metre graphic which was meticulously applied with hard wearing vinyls and protective laminates. It also integrated existing AV screens and triggers to add another dimension to the displays. Finally, discrete LED strip was fitted beneath a capping which created a continuous and dramatic downlighting effect across the whole installation.

Everyone involved was delighted with the final outcome, and it serves as a fabulous example of what can be achieved on a limited budget. Everything was made possible by maximising collaboration and effectively integrating volunteer skills with our studio’s work.

We look forward to re-imagining further rooms at Landguard Fort in the future.