THE HORSE TRUST MUSEUM

CLIENT : THE HORSE TRUST

The Home of Rest for Horses in Speen, Buckinghamshire, approached us at an advanced stage in their major refurbishment project to deliver a Museum telling the charity’s story from their founding in 1886 up to the present day. A rummage in the archives revealed a treasure trove of documentation and artefacts. These told the stories behind over 125 years of equine admissions, from overworked hansom cab horses being rested on short stays, to retired pit ponies, war horses and police horses, and survivors of terrorist atrocities or sickening neglect.

The team requested a timeline; we developed a shaped and printed shelf structure to hold object cases and AV screens, all located in time by their position on the shelf and linked graphically to themed information panels above. Further signage around the site completed the project, providing introductory and orientation information in the car park, fleshing out the residents’ stories in the stable block, and dressing the lovely new cafe with stunning signwriting by Victoria Garden. The interpretation is proving popular with visitors and, by diverting some attention from the horses themselves, happily helping ensure a restful retirement for the residents.