Introduction
The Trust's vision is to develop Tyntesfield as a contemporary estate, to be conserved for all, enjoyed by many, inspirational to some - and as a pivotal experience for a significant few.
Considerable work remains to be done before Tyntesfield can be shown to its full advantage with a complete range of visitor services. The development of the estate will be an ongoing project.
Tyntesfield Access Vision:
John McVerry, Project Director for Tyntesfield November 2002
We will develop Tyntesfield as a contemporary estate, to be conserved for all, enjoyed by many, inspirational to some - and as a pivotal experience for a significant few.
A contemporary estate:
Tyntesfield was purchased in 2002 as a result of a phenomenally successful appeal and (at £17.4 million) the largest ever grant by the National Heritage Memorial Fund. With there being no element of gift in the transfer of the estate from private to National Trust ownership, the property must be run for its new purpose: to entertain, to inform, to inspire and to give life-enhancing learning opportunities.
back to top
To be conserved for all:
There are many aspects and areas of Tyntesfield that are fragile and fugitive. The Trust must be aware that the historical value of the place, its infrastructure, its buildings and chattels was as much a factor in the public will to save it from being broken up as is its potential for access and Life Long Learning. All the activities at Tyntesfield must address the fragility of the place and adjust accordingly. The Trust must spread the message that conservation need not be the murderer of innovation and enjoyment. Whereas it may not be possible to walk on the Crace Carpets in the Library, their survival gives fantastic opportunities to study design, fashion, craft, technology and the industrial revolution. Outside, the management of the landscape and woods to provide habitats for rare and endangered species is both dynamic and of immense value and interest.
back to top
Enjoyed by many
The pressure from people to visit, experience and enjoy Tyntesfield is both heartening and threatening. The public support for its rescue is reflected in the urgency with which people want to see the place for themselves. Within the first phase of the project the infrastructure for public visiting should be effected with some urgency. However, the danger from intensive visiting before the place is protected must be addressed.
back to top
Inspirational to some
The sight of a terminally ill, elderly woman crying in the chapel as her lifetime desire to see inside was realised, was a joyful and humbling experience. The rapture of a craftsman inspecting the detail of the stone and wood carvings at close quarters, the excitement of technology historians discovering the triple metal sashes in the kitchen window and the fascination of an operatic student testing the acoustic in the chapel are just three examples of how special access to Tyntesfield has brought deep pleasure and gratification to people with a seemingly tangential connection to an historic house. Each visit though was specially tailored to the recipient and required listening to and understanding their particular needs - none of which could have been met in the course of a normal National Trust visit.
back to top
A pivotal experience for a significant few
The hardest form of access to achieve, but the highest value in the access vision. By identifying the tasks involved in running Tyntesfield for the 21st-century and using those tasks as an opportunity to reach out to new audiences, to people who will use their experience to further themselves and enrich their daily lives - this is the true access vision for Tyntesfield.
To have real value however, it is essential that the timing of the tasks, and therefore the project, is geared towards this end. Target groups - the young, the old, the infirm, those seeking a new start or to (re-) kindle confidence - must be fully engaged in their areas of opportunity. It is essential that they are part of the decision making process, or they become merely consumers and their involvement is passive and potentially confidence sapping. For Tyntesfield to be meaningful, the skills they learn and develop here must be transferable to their daily lives: to enhance their ability to flourish and develop independently. To this end the Trust must gain formal accreditation for time spent and skills acquired at Tyntesfield.
Learning here must not be narrow and confined, but embracing and of real value.
To achieve the vision, the Trust must recognise that it must enable Tyntesfield in order that Tyntesfield can succeed.
New audiences will not come rushing to our gates, clamouring to be let in. The organisation, the place and the staff must listen to their needs, be welcoming, flexible and patient.
The Trust could complete the capital works at Tyntesfield in a few short years; it has a superb record in managing complex heritage projects in a professional and highly organised way.
To get (for example) a group of young people to undertake a task though, it will take much preparatory work with the Youth Service in order to involve the young people in defining a project and then undertake the planning, the budgeting, the time-tabling (their other commitments are unlikely to allow them to do a 35hour week) the execution of the task, the assessment and de-brief and celebration. To get the Youth Service to work with the Trust over a prolonged period, the Trust must listen to the Service and the Young People as to what their needs are so that they can gain relevant and transferable skills, a form of accreditation and a final celebration that will make them feel that their work here has been both valuable and valued.
All groups, from young offenders working the estate with horses, to arthritic gardeners pricking out bedding plants in the greenhouses, have specific physical and developmental needs. The Trust will have to tailor projects to address the skill requirements of the target groups and create a working environment that is exacting, but not intimidating or discriminatory. Departmental Heads will have to insist on the highest standards of customer care to ensure that everyone at Tyntesfield is valued for the work that they are doing and are working in a truly safe and non-discriminatory environment.
The Conservation, the many, some and the few - all can co-exist at Tyntesfield and all can flourish. However, if all are to flourish equally the naturally reticent must be disproportionately encouraged and supported.
To commit to the vision, the Trust will have to be prepared to target time and resources in favour of the 'significant few'. In order to create and develop the opportunities for the few, the desire of the many will have to be managed. To encourage new audiences, the Trust must manage the expectation of the old. And it must be resolute in its message and its markers of success.
To encourage a new bird to a property, the Trust would have no hesitation in cordoning off a suitable area for the habitat, observing the needs of that creature, taking advice from specialist agencies and doing everything possible to create an environment that is conducive to its investigating the site and feeling comfortable enough to stay.
|
