Press Release

Design project goes extra mile for Armada Exhibition

26th October 2005

A multi-agency project team have recognised the complexity of delivering an accessible exhibition and innovative home for the Armada artefacts at the Tower Museum.

Local architect firm, Hamilton Architects in Derry, who were both architects and project managers for the Armada exhibition worked in conjunction with David McCabe Design to deliver the vision of accessibility to this new exhibition. Seamus McCloskey of Hamilton Architects says it’s a particularly child friendly exhibition.

“It was a complex challenge creating an a multi-layered exhibition where all levels of interests can be served. Visitors, especially school children, can take away and learn as much as they can while those with a deeper interest have an opportunity to look at more specialised information with films, data bases and over 100 artefacts to view. The enjoyable interactive and audio visual displays have really brought the exhibition into the 21st Century”.

The opening of the exhibition marks the conclusion of a fifteen-year involvement with the Heritage and Museum Service by designers, Robin Wade and David McCabe. Commenting on the opening of the exhibition David McCabe said:

“The main challenge everyone faced was to provide a museum environment for highly sensitive material in a building that was not intended for this purpose. The achievement was to keep the storyline logical within each of the levels while providing facilities for all ages and all abilities including those who don’t speak English. Accessibility is core to the delivery of the story and we are delighted to have achieved this in an innovative setting”.

By taking the lift to the top level of the exhibition visitors are introduced to politics of 16th Century Europe and events leading up to the Armada voyage of 1588. The next two floors are connected by a mezzanine level which has the effect of immersing visitors “under water”. Here the finds are displayed with their connections to life aboard La Trinidad Valencera and the story told of the local divers who discovered the wreck. The final level is described by David McCabe as “fun filled, with hands-on displays looking at marine archaeology both under water and in a science laboratory setting.”

An Armada Shipwreck ~ La Trinidad Valencera exhibition is now open at the Tower Museum. It received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Derry City Council and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. For further information please contact 028 7137 7331.

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