Engaging Audiences with Digitised Collections at Chatham Historic Dockyard

Vikkie Mulford, the Digital and Public Engagement Officer at Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, recently shared insights into the Trust’s innovative approach to using digitised collections to enhance audience engagement. In her MuseumNext presentation, she outlined practical strategies that have broadened the appeal of the Dockyard’s collections, particularly during the challenging times of the pandemic.

The Beginning of a Digital Engagement Journey

The Dockyard’s digital engagement efforts gained significant traction during the first lockdown of the pandemic. With physical access to museums restricted, the Trust launched the “Museum from Home” initiative. This digital learning package included interactive activities such as arts awards and science experiments, designed to bring the museum experience into people’s homes.

One standout feature of this initiative was “Transformation Tuesday,” a weekly photographic comparison series that juxtaposed historical images of dockyard buildings with contemporary photos. This campaign not only captivated audiences but also highlighted the potential of photographs as key assets for online engagement—a realization that has since driven the Trust’s ongoing efforts to digitize and share its photographic archive.

Leveraging National Campaigns for Broader Engagement

During the lockdowns, the Dockyard actively participated in popular national campaigns, such as York Museum’s Curator Battle on Twitter. These campaigns provided a fun and engaging way to connect with audiences. With categories like “best hat” or “sassiest object,” the Dockyard’s collections were frequently showcased, including the Victorian sloop HMS Gannet’s figurehead, which made an appearance in the “best bird” category.

Mulford also explored creative ways to celebrate lesser-known national awareness days. For example, on World Toilet Day, the Dockyard shared stories of historical toilets from its collections, including a quirky recent acquisition: a rope made from toilet paper, allegedly strong enough to pull a double-decker bus. For World Cake Day, they highlighted a Cold War submarine’s 21st birthday cake-cutting ceremony, and on World Horse Appreciation Day, the Dockyard surprised its followers with photos of Whitbread horses delivering beer to submarines.

Dockyard Daily History and Mental Health Awareness Initiatives

Recognizing that posts featuring images garnered more engagement, the Trust introduced illustrated daily history posts on social media. These posts often featured digitized photographs, as images were the most accessible collection items during lockdown. One notable post showed the aftermath of a Second World War bombing raid on the dockyard in December 1940, sparking significant engagement due to its emotional resonance and historical significance.

For Mental Health Awareness Week in 2020, the Dockyard tapped into the digital jigsaw trend. They transformed digitized artworks from their collection into jigsaw puzzles, aligning the activity with “Take Notice,” one of the five steps to wellbeing. This campaign connected with audiences looking for mindful, interactive content during the lockdowns and included popular pieces like “The Ropemakers,” which was displayed both as a jigsaw and in the Dockyard’s new Ropery gallery.

Expanding Access with Virtual Tours and Warship Wednesday

To address accessibility challenges, particularly when physical access to sites was limited, the Dockyard developed virtual tours of its key attractions, including a prototype digital tour of the submarine HMS Ocelot. Launched in summer 2020, this tour combined photographs, videos, and audio content and was made available both online and via on-site QR codes.

The Trust also partnered with World of Warships and Dan Snow to create 360-degree virtual tours of HMS Cavalier, a Second World War destroyer. These tours offered unprecedented access to areas typically closed to the public, such as the engine room, making the ships accessible to all, regardless of physical mobility.

Further enhancing their digital offerings, the Trust introduced a monthly blog series called “Warship Wednesday.” Each post spotlights a different Chatham-built, repaired, or refitted ship, often coinciding with national anniversaries or broader programming. For example, the April feature on HMS Endurance marked the 40th anniversary of the Falklands War, and a special edition is planned for the 70th anniversary of Operation Hurricane.

Online Collections and Future Plans

The Dockyard’s online collections micro-site, powered by the collections management system Vernon, showcases five featured collections, including recent acquisitions like the Des & Liz Pawson collection, which consists of rope-related items now displayed in the newly redesigned Ropery gallery. This initiative is part of the Trust’s broader efforts to digitize and make accessible more of its vast collections.

Looking ahead, Mulford discussed plans to use digitized collections for revenue generation. Ideas include designing product labels, like the one created for honey sourced from the Dockyard’s own bees, and producing merchandise such as T-shirts featuring blueprints or ship plans. The Dockyard also aims to enhance accessibility by exploring assistive technologies like NaviLens and immersive digital tools such as VR to provide virtual tours of otherwise inaccessible spaces.

Sustainability and Accessibility Initiatives

Jasmine, the Exhibitions Assistant at Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, highlighted the Dockyard’s partnership with ICROA to make its collection more sustainable and accessible. This initiative focuses on reducing climate impact and increasing public accessibility, with a particular emphasis on the Dockyard’s unique riverside location along the River Medway.

As part of the “Art Collections Matter” project, the Dockyard has committed to Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water, which emphasises the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and coastal environments. The Dockyard is actively investigating the marine life within its wet docks, home to historic ships like HMS Cavalier and HMS Gannet. The findings, which include moon jellyfish, crabs, mussels, and various fish, offer a fresh perspective on the Dockyard’s collection, highlighting the intersection of heritage and environmental conservation.

To bring these underwater discoveries to life, the Dockyard plans to install an underwater webcam in the docks, streaming live footage to their website and gallery screens. This initiative aims to raise awareness of the marine life in the River Medway and explore questions about the impact of marine wildlife on heritage structures.

Conclusion

Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust’s digital engagement strategies illustrate how digitized collections can serve as powerful tools for audience engagement, education, and accessibility. By creatively leveraging digital content and exploring new technologies, the Dockyard continues to expand its reach, bringing the rich history of its collections to diverse audiences while addressing contemporary challenges of sustainability and accessibility.