Case studies
30 Oct 2019
by Charlotte Ward
Taken through stone banisters, you can see past bright pink HODs bunting towards a circular decorated stained glass window.
A stunning building from every angle. (© C. Ward)

Why we take part

Though we are open to the public as a library, archive and research facility, we are not able to have members of the public visit to have a look around our beautiful historic building. HODs provided us with the perfect opportunity to not only take part in a popular national event but to also see how opening our doors for visitors on a weekday would work.

What we do for HODs

2019 Event directory description: On entering our 1901 building you can experience Lloyd’s Register’s heritage brought to life through costumed characters, finds from our archive, an interactive exhibition, and try being a virtual reality ship surveyor!
 
Working with new partners
  • We invited Past Pleasures, a costumed interpretation company, to bring Thomas Collcutt (original architect) to life and turn back time to the building’s opening in 1901. We loved seeing how excited and interested people were in meeting with Collcutt and learning more about his work and inspiration for the building. It was the first time we worked with them and we thoroughly enjoyed it! 
  • Thanks to the HODs team, we were put in touch with the Women's Engineering Society (WES) who were celebrating 100 years. They were able to join our event, sparking interest and discussions regarding the women in our history.
A collection of 5 small dolls - Lottie Dolls - who are dressed representing different careers a women could have - wearing planet dungarees, hard hats
Partnership working - the Lottie dolls from WES on tour at Lloyds. (© C. Ward)

Favourite moment

We loved seeing people take part in our new VR experience. It allows people to experience what it would have been like to survey ships in the 19th century, finding the faults in the ship that would impact its overall safety. It was great seeing members of the public engage with this experience, learn but, most importantly, enjoy it and have fun! 

Nice surprises

We were surprised by just how popular we were as an attraction. Being in the City of London and not being a particularly well-known organisation, we did not expect that many people would show up. We were pleasantly surprised that we had 173 visitors through our door!

A women with a green scooped t-shit, wearing a VR head set, with interactive remotes in her hands. Behind her is a screen showing what she is seeing.
Getting to grips with surveying ships. (© C. Ward)

The difference it's made

We produced more online content, including blogs, for visitors to learn more about our history and collection and provided QR codes around the building for visitors to scan. Combined with the help of the HODs team, we saw an 80% increase in website hits across our open days.

Charlotte's top tip!

Get your application form in as soon as possible! It meant that the HODs team were really able to support us in the build up to our event and we were able to make the most of the free marketing materials!

A stone carving of a lion which has had a pink balloon placed near its paws to it appears to be holding the balloon
Best foot forward for the festival! (© C. Ward)

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