Whitby Abbey is an iconic English Heritage landmark and scheduled monument located on the headland at Whitby in North Yorkshire. Drinkall Dean were appointed to lead a large design team to create an explorative and intergenerational experience for visitors, with continuity across all areas of the site.

A major part of this project was developing a new, permanent exhibition inside Cholmley House, part of the Scheduled Monument classification. We designed the exhibition to mirror the sense of wonder and discovery inherent to Whitby Abbey. It follows a meandering nonlinear trajectory reminiscent of the fallen stones of the abbey. The visitor weaves through cases and exhibits, perpetuating a sense of discovery and linking the internal and external sites. Each section of the exhibition conveys a narrative of its own, and thus a visitor can enter from any point, allowing for a more relaxed experience. The design resonates with Whitby’s unique sense of place, and responds to its rich tapestry of local communities, as well as the natural landscape and sweeping cliffs of the headland.

In tandem with this, sound was used to cultivate a strong sense of atmosphere and identity, to constantly remind the visitor that they are in Whitby - such as bird sounds, and low-tech interactives with ‘listen’ and ‘look’ holes for children evoking the myth and mystery of the site. Interpretation and technology has been integrated across the site with consideration given to the long lifespan of the project. This includes an interactive ‘ammonite’ quest that detects an objects’ external discovery site and connects this with its place in the exhibition.