Heritage Interpretation

What is Heritage Interpretation?

Heritage interpretation brings places, objects and stories to life. It reveals meaning, creates emotional connection and helps people understand why cultural, natural and historical heritage matters today.

At its best, interpretation does more than present information: it invites audiences to explore, reflect and make their own connections with the past. In doing so, it strengthens sense of place and deepens understanding of the people, landscapes and events that have shaped our shared history.

We believe heritage interpretation can enrich people’s lives by creating memorable experiences that are accessible, meaningful and emotionally resonant. By encouraging curiosity and connection, it can support wellbeing and inspire people to value, protect and share heritage with others.

Wessex Archaeology's Studio team specialises in providing a wide range of Heritage Interpretation.

Why to choose us? 

Wessex Archaeology is an education charity, a leading provider of heritage and archaeological services. We work to leave a positive legacy of social cohesion and wellbeing within local communities, through knowledge and skills sharing.  

Established for over 40 years, we offer an unrivalled range of heritage services. With over 400 industry experts working across a network of international offices, we provide a unique in-depth understanding of heritage resources.   

Our highly skilled Studio department is accredited by the Association for Heritage Interpretation. The team comprises of 13 creatives who bring the past to life through a comprehensive range of content creation services including, but not limited to: presentation and exhibition design, photography, video/audio production, 2D/3D animation, comic books, design and typesetting, digital reconstructions, 3D interactive models, immersive experiences (including VR, AR), 3D scanning, virtual repairs and 3D printing.   

We work in partnership with clients across a variety of sectors to deliver practical, sustainable, sympathetic solutions to effectively manage heritage. Our experience and knowledge help our clients achieve successful planning outcomes, engage communities and stakeholders, and enhance the value of national historical assets. We are happy to provide bespoke interpretive content either alone or in collaboration, to ensure the perfect heritage solution is achieved for our clients and their visitors.

As part of our commitment to our clients, our creatives are assigned for the duration of each project. This ensures consistency of product and style. Styles can range from photorealistic representations to artistic interpretations, depending on the situation and subject matter.

Our clients range from museums, heritage consultants, historic properties, housing and infrastructure companies, and people in the retail industries.

• Reconstruction & Visualisation
• Animation
• Structured Light Scanning (SLS)
• 3D printing
• Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and Games
• Video & Photography
• Exhibition & Display  
• Design & Typesetting

Wessex Archaeology’s Studio team can provide all the Heritage Interpretation content you require. We pride ourselves on our quality. We are ISO accredited as well as a member of the Association of Heritage Interpretation.

As part of one of the largest heritage and archaeology organisations in the UK, Wessex Archaeology's Studio has the added benefit of support from a full range of heritage specialists, who are able to offer insights and advice on the historical aspects. This helps us ensure our heritage interpretations are as accurate as possible.

Some interpretations are created for short term use such as events or press releases while others are for more permanent display, such as information panels or museum exhibitions. Whether you are seeking to promote historic remains visible in the landscape, a beautiful historic building, or a handful of archaeological artefacts, heritage interpretation can make it come alive for your audience.

Who is heritage interpretation for?

Heritage interpretation is not just for museums, it can appear almost anywhere:

• incorporated into new buildings such as schools and show homes, 
• promoting the past in busy urban areas,
• to explain historic properties, 
• to enhance engagement at heritage attractions,
• continuing the visitor experiences in retail areas.

Most good heritage interpretations are accessible to people of all ages, but not all are designed for a wide age range. There are many excellent interpretations designed with a more niche audience in mind. Interpretations can be designed to: fit in with school curriculums, for those with limited attention spans, created with a more elderly audience in mind, or for people with disabilities. More complex heritage interpretations can provide information designed to engage more than one of the senses, with sound, moving images, touch and even smells! 

If you need a reconstruction, Heritage APP trail or Augmented Reality App, informative video, content for a digital or analogue display panel, or even a Virtual Reality experience we are here to help. Below are a few of the projects we have worked on. If you have a project, no matter how big or small, why not get in touch. 

Find out more about our Heritage Interpretation Services here