Johnstown Castle, Wexford

Consultation  |  Research  |  Planning

This multi-faceted project involved close collaboration between myself, the design team at Bright, staff at Johnstown Castle and Dublin-based staff at the Irish Heritage Trust.  The Estate is owned by Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority, which for over forty years has conducted transformative research at the site. The previous visitor experience was disjointed, comprising the Irish Agricultural Museum (in the old stable block) and self-guided walks around the fifty-acre demesne. The Museum included a small exhibit on estate history.  This project involved opening the Castle interior to visitors for the first time, building a new visitor centre with exhibits and introducing new interpretive trails in the grounds. My role was to unite this diverse offer under the overall interpretive concept of ‘Food, Family, Farming’ already agreed by the Trust. I held workshops, consultations and visitor feedback sessions to develop and test new castle tours and drafted interpretive plans for all aspects of the visitor journey.