Join ‘William Wilberforce’ on a tour of his former home
As part of Museums and Galleries month the team at Hull's Museum Education are launching a revolutionary way to enjoy William Wilberforce's birthplace and former home.
Visitors can now explore Wilberforce House Museum and collections whilst listening to the “voice” of William Wilberforce as he guides them around his birthplace and historic former home, in an exciting and innovative new way using the latest digital technology.
The tours celebrate “Ideas and Innovations” as part of Museums and Galleries month. There will be a special public event, “Hand Held Audio Tours” at 1pm on Thursday 29th May as part of the month long programme of events.
Hull Museum Education has developed a programme of free audio tours which can be listened to online and also downloaded and saved onto an MP3 player, iPod, or some mobile phones.
Tracy Pallett, Education Officer for Hull Museums said: “As part of the “Ideas and Innovations” theme within Museum and Galleries Month this May, Hull Museums are proud to be once again leading the way in the use of the latest digital technology in new and innovative ways within Hull’s museums.
“These new free, downloadable audio tours offer visitors an alternative way to access Wilberforce House and its collections and to find out more about the early life of the great slavery abolitionist, himself, William Wilberforce and also marks the end of yearlong celebrations which commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of slavery”.
Each tour contains several tracks that when listened to in sequence, give listeners and visitors a colourful insight into daily life in the Wilberforce family home. The tours have been designed to allow visitors to move around at their own pace within the museum, taking as long as they like in each room to study the objects on display.
Listeners can download either the Classic (Adult) or Junior tours to their computer then transfer the mp3 files to a portable player, which they can then bring along with them to the Wilberforce House Museum during normal opening hours and use as their own personal guide. The tour itself couldn’t be easier to follow as the galleries are all colour coded and referred to in the guide.
These tours aim to bring to life the unique historical atmosphere of what life was like in the Wilberforce household during the 18th and 19th centuries. These atmospheric tours guide the listener through each of the rooms, and come complete with interesting sound effects!
Jon Pywell, Head of Education and Lifelong Learning (Museums) for Hull Museums said: “Hull Museums are leading the way in making museums and galleries more accessible using new technologies. It is proving to be a real winner with visitors, particularly those who enjoy exploring museums in an interactive yet independent way”.
Both tours last about 40 minutes. The Junior tour is suitable for children aged 8 and upwards and adults. The Classic tour is suitable for older children and adults.
These tours can be freely accessed on the Hull City Council website, Hull City Council Wilberforce House Museum page and also on the MY Learning website, My Learning
Published: 2/05/08
