Ely Cathedral is a magnificent structure with a history dating back over 1300 years and is the only UK building to be listed as one of the ‘Seven Wonders of the Medieval World’. Visible for miles around, the Cathedral is often referred to as ‘The Ship of the Fens’.
Ely were keen to improve their visitor offer and to make the cathedral more accessible to a wider range of visitors by introducing an on-site multimedia guide.
They decided to have a main tour, a family tour, plus a host of language options.
Featuring Architectural and Historical presenter Jonathan Foyle, the tours are available to visitors on ATS’s flagship multimedia device, the Focus 3.
We were delighted to create an adult tour featuring interviews with Cathedral staff, clergy and choristers, and presentation by architectural historian Dr Jonathan Foyle. All filmed on site with Louise, Byng, Paulina, Tim Laking, and Alice. Also flew a drone into the Octagon to show the paintings and architecture close up.
Our family tour featuring Ember the dragon. Inspired by an architectural feature in the Lady Chapel, Ember is a young female dragon who shows us around the Cathedral and introduces us to other hidden characters. She was created by a local illustrator and animated by us.
We also created a 45 stop Highlights tour for visitors with limited time.
The tours are available in French, Spanish, Italian, German and Polish, and we also created Audio Described tour and BSL tour.
As a building which operates as a place of worship, a place of learning, an events venue and a heritage attraction, we wanted to create interpretation which highlighted the unique history of Ely cathedral alongside its day-to-day operations and insights into its continuing significance into the future.
Working with a company as experienced as ATS has enabled us to identify the key stories we wished to share, creative ways to present them and how to successfully appeal to a broader audience. The whole process had been an enjoyable learning curve for the cathedral team, and we are excited to share the results with the visiting public.
Sally Porter, Visitor Experience Manager, Ely Cathedral
