Living history: fancy dress or serious fun?

Living history defined

According to Wikipedia, ‘ Living history is an activity that incorporates historical tools, activities and dress into an interactive presentation that seeks to give observers and participants a sense of stepping back in time.’

I have to admit I that I used to be a little bit sceptical about living history. The concept of costumed actors re-enacting historical periods, events, or battles, and tribute bands blasting out hits from the past, stuck me as slightly cheesey, even although I was, and continue to be, full of admiration of the achievements of people like Walt Disney in pioneering wonderful theme parks, where adults and children alike can enjoy world class entertainment and experiences together; and I’ve been a fan of Walt Disney World in Florida from the moment I first visited it in 1981. But somehow I  couldn’t quite reconcile the concept and value of mixing genuine historic sites with people in fancy dress.

I feel reasonably well qualified to comment, since I’ve been on both sides of the fence:  as both presenter and voyeur.  I once dressed up as a saloon girl accompanying a Wells Fargo stage coach in the Lord Mayors Show, which takes place annually every November in London, as well as attending many living history presentations over the years

Transatlantic influences

Many years ago I visited the eastern seaboard of the USA with a group of friends.  We went on a road trip that took in, amongst other places,  Boston in Massachusetts and colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. As well as walking the Freedom Trail which links together revolutionary sites from the War of American Independence; there was no denying that it seemed a harmless bit of fun to photograph ourselves chucking a fake tea chest into Boston harbour during a recreation of the infamous Boston Tea Party. Incidentally, the replica ship where we enjoyed this re-enactment, the Beaver, and the associated museum, are currently closed, but scheduled to re-open after renovation in 2010.

Later on the same trip we visited colonial Williamsburg, in Virginia, and were frankly amazed at the money spent and the attention to detail lavished on this recreation of ‘living history’ in a colonial town, complete with costumed citizens and beautifully maintained buildings that didn’t even look particularly old to us! At the time, it just seemed all seemed like fun and frivolous tourist entertainment, of a type rarely found back in 1970s Europe. Frivolity was frowned on in our historic visitor attractions during this period! It took a while for the interactivity and animatronics pioneered at the likes of Walt Disney World and Universal Studios to filter across ‘the pond’ to European visitor attractions.

Why I changed my opinion

Gradually over the decades I’ve changed my position on living history.  There was no denying that medieval banquets, complete with costumed hosts and waiting staff, pioneered in the 1970s and still held today at places like the Beefeater by the Tower in London, Ruthin Castle in Wales and Dalhousie Castle in Scotland, were, and remain, popular with international visitors to Britain; and the Civil War battles recreated by groups like the Sealed Knot continue to attract increasing numbers of spectators. It all was, and still is, undoubtedly good for business. But were the particiants just having fun dressing up, and were spectators just enjoying the spectacle; were the costumes and props authentic, and was there any lasting value to be derived from the exercise , I wondered?

Like everything else, I’m glad to notice that living history has moved with the times. I’ve become convinced that it now meets the increasing expectations of today’s more demanding consumers, taking it beyond simple spectacle and entertainment. I’m delighted to see it  has now been adopted, big time in the UK, by key players like English Heritage, and the Historic Royal Palaces, and the education and outreach departments of museums, who research the costumes and props to ensure authenticity, and run educational sessions for the younger generation, led by professional actors, in schools. Culture 24 is a good place to start when searching for more information.

Serious TV history programmes also now use re-enactments extensively, a trend pioneered by scholars such as Simon Schama and David Starkey, who have both done more than their fair share to popularise the genre. All this activity has brought living history into the mainstream, which I think is great.

My recent journey through living history

To give you an idea of the sophistication of presentation now available, I’ll outline some of the most recent events I’ve attended:

I’ve watched a recreation of the Battle of Hastings at Battle, complete with blow by blow commentary; and enjoyed a guided walk of the battlefield, laid on beforehand, which explained the respective strategies of the Saxons and Normans as the battle unfolded, which greatly increased my appreciation and enjoyment of the event itself.

I’ve attended the Military Odyssey held annually at Detling, Kent which is the largest multi period event of its type in the world. Here as well as seeing living history ‘performances’ in the arena, you can meet participants, some of whom also make and/or sell the relevant period props and costumes, if you want to get personally involved.

Living history presentations are now popping up all over Europe. By way of illustration, my son and I stumbled across a medieval Christmas re-enactment at Esslingen just outside Stuttgart, in Germany, when we decided to visit the Christmas market there.

More recently I went to see a performance of ‘As You Like it’ at the recreated Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, and attended a pre-performance lecture by a professor of English Literature from UCL. This experience really helped engage my interest, and increased my enjoyment so much that I felt inspired to buy fridge magnets featuring pertinent Shakespearean quotes, from the shop!

In the last week I’ve been on a visit to to Hampton Court. I didn’t book anything in advance; but while there I saw the characters pictured above  wandering around, and impulsively joined with my friends, in a living history programme which proved most enjoyable. I got swept up in active participation in the planning and preparations for the ‘wedding of Henry VIII and Catherine Parr’ and was among those offered an opportunity to attend a most informative lecture and interactive demonstration of  Tudor dress given by the two actors, who performed ‘in character’ throughout.

So as you can see, I’ve seen the light since my early Boston Tea Party experience.   For me ‘living history’  has truly arrived. It can enhance the visitor experience at historic sites, as well as creating world class visual spectacle and entertainment that stands up to scholarly scrutiny.

I would urge anyone in the tourism industry who provides accommodation for visitors  to make a point of checking out dates for events when living history experiences are  offered, whether at their local English Heritage sites, or at any other location. Guests are likely to thank them for the recommendation.  Speaking personally one of my favourite events is the Dickensian Christmas Festival of Rochester, that comes up annually in December ; but that’s another story…

Until next time…

What makes a genuine souvenir?

I’ve been doing quite a lot of travelling in the UK over the past three months. As a result, I’ve spent a fair bit in hotels, restaurants, visitor attractions and yes, shops. So my expenditure, whether I’ve been travelling for business or pleasure, has also benefited the local economy everywhere I’ve visited, from Newcastle to Salcombe, from Liverpool to Ascot, The Cotswolds, London, Durham and Bath, to the Isle of Wight, Stratford Upon Avon and Windsor. Or has it?

My definition of a souvenir

Souvenirs are physical reminders of places you’ve visited. My husband abhors them, and is always reminding me ‘not to bring home any more knick-knacks’. However, in my case, my desire to take home a souvenir of some description, runs deep. I rarely throw one away, unless it totally disintegrates, which drives him nuts.

Souvenirs should carry meaning, be about memories and local identity. The preponderance of chain stores you now find in the high streets of so many towns and cities all over the  world makes finding something different more difficult. More often than not nowadays, it’s frustratingly difficult to findsomething  locally made, that you can’t get anywhere else, apart from rocks.

I have a thing about rocks, fossils and shells. I’ve got a great collection, picked up from beaches and roadside verges all over the world. They make great free souvenirs. They’re not actually displayed anywhere, they find themselves scattered about in odd drawers, bathroom shelves or in the garden. Most are too small to be of any use, except the collection of pumice I picked up on the beach at Monte Circeo in Italy at the age of 14. There’s nothing like pumice for rough skin; and these little pieces, that probably came from Vesuvius,  form a keepsake that still transports me back to a windswept teenage day out from Rome with my Italian uncle and aunt, digging my bare feet into the cold beach sand of late March, resolving  to remember the moment forever.

Can my recent purchases be criticised?

Turn over many obvious souvenirs like the small red plastic telephone boxes or double decker buses, or mugs, that you see in souvenir shops in London nowadays and you’ll find the words ‘made in China’ stamped on the bottom. I tried this exercise with what I considered the best souvenirs I’ve picked up in the UK recently, and was shocked by the results. In particular I thought that major art galleries would be places keen to support well designed home produced artifacts.

On closer inspection I discovered that the cute little ‘Handy Bookmarks’, made of multi-coloured wire in the shape of hand signs (£2.50. from NPW),  that I bought in the Baltic Gallery in Gateshead, were made in China. So were the fredandfriends.com ‘Gin and Titonic’ ship and iceberg shaped ice cubes ‘to sink in your drink’, from the same place ( priced at £5.50). The latter appear to have been designed in the USA; but on inspecting the packet it confirmed that they were manufactured in China.

I’ve also discovered that The Cavern Club fridge magnet I bought in Liverpool Visitor Information Centre, was made in China (mysteriously I found I couldn’t buy souvenirs in the club itself). Finally I looked at my much admired Tatty Devine acrylic keyring in ‘symbolism black’ (available in other colours such as ‘post modern pink’), that I purchased at Tate Liverpool in  Albert Dock (£14.68 from Tate online), and was delighted to find that it was made in the UK.

How we can promote locally distinctive souvenirs

We may live in an era of globalisation, but we can do our bit for the local economy whether we  are on ‘staycation’ in the UK or travelling abroad, if we buy goods that are locally made. That’s what I believe ‘responsible tourism’ is all about.

Common Ground is an organisation that devotes itself to promoting the value and importance of the local: our ordinary cultural heritage, popular history, everyday buildings and commonplace nature’. Back in 1983 they invented the term  local distinctiveness, which they define as ‘ the richness of difference between places that reflects meaning back to us, through the particular accumulations of story upon history upon natural history’. It’s something all of us can look out for in the souvenirs we take home from a trip.

Common Ground’s ‘Manifesto for Souvenirs’:

Souvenirs should be:

1. true to their place, full of meaning, reinforcing identity
2. locally distinctive, unique to the locale
3. produced nearby
4. making use of and building on the natural and cultural assets of the place
5. made from local renewable materials
6. ambassadors for their place
7. authentic and of good quality
8. offer good value be ethically derived and fairly traded
9. of benefit to local makers and the broader tourist industry as well as retailers
10. clearly labelled with sources of material, name of designer, maker and place of production, feeding back into local culture
11. capable of reuse, recycling and simply packaged
12. exemplary of sustainability

What we can do next

Common Ground goes on to suggest what we can all try and do as tourists and travellers, locals and makers or manufacturers, commissioners of goods and traders, to search out locally distinctive souvenirs; amongst other things by demanding authenticity, good quality and fair value whenever we buy  souvenirs. Read more.

Check your most recent purchases, and see if you can find proof of whether they were locally made.  How practicable do think Common Ground’s ideas are? I think it’s a particular challenge for retailers to source items that can be sold as souvenirs at the lower end of the price scale. Why not let me know what  you think; or tell me about the special items that you’ve purchased as souvenirs and found to be found made locally here in the UK.

How to avoid being consigned to Alaska

Defining Alaska

No restaurant owner likes to see empty tables; but it’s a fact that everywhere in the world there are more and less popular zones, or even individual tables, in restaurants.  In the States, where they always seem to have a name for everything, they deem the unpopular areas of a restaurant  ‘Alaska’ or alternatively ‘Siberia’.  It’s the cold place, where customers prefer not to be seated, and where waiting staff have to work harder to please people. As I watched comings and goings in various styles of restaurants while travelling over the past few weeks, on occasion dining alone, sometimes accompanied by my family, and sometimes as part of a large group. In many places I’ve noticed how conflict can occur.

The causes  of Alaska

One difficulty for everyone is that ‘Alaska’ in general can move around.  It moves seasonally, with outdoor terraces  of hotels and cafes busiest in summer, a time when people often prefer not to be inside. The very same places can be almost unrecognisable in winter, a time when terraces are almost invisible, but candlelit interiors and even cellars, are more cosy and inviting. Alaska can also move with the time of day and clientele. City restaurants may be busy with business people at lunchtimes, or even breakfast, if they open, but can be hard to fill in the evening, when they can lack atmosphere. Few people enjoy dining in an empty restaurant, and everyone likes to have a good table; but it’s just not always possible, especially in the most popular places.

Generally speaking, there are six issues which can give rise to ‘Alaska’ :

• relative temperature (cold, heat or humidity)
• draught,
• noise and traffic flow
• table layout
• perceived inferior view
• perceived inferior position

Alaska can be created by a single one,  or a combination of  any of these factors compared to other tables in the same restaurant.  Each has the potential to cause discomfort to guests on affected tables. The important thing is for all staff in affected restaurants to be aware of the problem, and to put counter strategies in place if at all possible.

How do you solve a problem like Alaska?

In some cases action can be taken. Temporary Alaska can be caused in any area of a restaurant adjacent to a large table set up for a group, usually due to concerns about noise.  Such tables can be screened from other guests;  or adjacent tables booked  with earlier arrival times to minimise exposure to noise, which often increases as the evening progresses.

Restaurant staff should already be aware of airflows and most try to avoid locating tables in an obvious draught or immediately next to open fires, heaters and doors.  Such sites, and others on the route of high traffic flows, will almost certainly prove to be unpopular Alaska zones.

I don’t envy the task of the maitre d’, host or whoever takes responsibility for table allocation in popular fine dining restaurants.  The problem of tables unpopular because they have an inferior view or position,  whether perceived or actual, can be the most difficult of all for customers and staff to handle.  Many guests now check user generated reviews on websites in the hope of discovering tips about tables to avoid in popular places.

The policy of ‘first come first served’ may work in informal restaurants with high turnover; but not in fine dining restaurants, or in resort hotels, where the table may be allocated for the duration of a lengthy stay, and its location is therefore more crucial in the eyes of the guest. I haven’t seen a queue at  restaurant opening time since the earliest days of Mediterranean package holidays! An undignified rush to bag the best table, at least, now seems to be prevented by the simple intervention of a greeter or maitre d’,  and a polite request to wait for a table assignment, at a desk near the entrance.

A solution to our chilly experience

When our family stayed at the Thurlestone Hotel in Devon during our ‘staycation’ this summer, the Alaska issue was handled in an exemplary way. I imagine that, like many guests entering the Margaret Amelia restaurant, we hoped to be allocated a window table (around 25% of the total available), and we had actually requested one specifically in advance, although we had booked our stay at fairly short notice. We were politely informed that we had been allocated a table in the second row back from the window, but that they would ‘see what they could do’ to get us a window table during our stay. In fact we were kept fully informed each day, and finally moved to one on the last evening of our three night stay, for which we were appropriately grateful.

The whole question of how to get a good table in a restaurant is also covered by many online blogs and forums including the Epi-log on Epicurious.com, so I won’t go into more detail here. Suffice it for me to say that if you are entertaining someone on an important occasion, you probably owe it to your guest(s) to make every effort to avoid Alaska!

Until next week…

Paying with pleasure

My impulse purchase

On a sunny day in Salcombe, this summer, I fell victim to an impulse purchase in a fashion clothing retailer. Nothing unusual about that, you might think; but on this occasion, it was a particularly interesting experience. First I was drawn in by windows advertising a sale, and then I was soon persuaded to snap up the bargain orange linen shirt you can see in the picture above, which looked stunning as soon as I tried it on. It’s become one of my favourite pieces in the recent gorgeous weather we’ve been enjoying thoughout September.

What’s so different about Quba?

However, as well as the great casual clothes on offer, one of the things that  impressed me most about my experience in Quba was the amount of thought they’ve obviously put in to their branding, right down to making sure they make an impact at point of sale. Once you’ve handed over your credit card or cash , you get a till receipt inside a retro mock UK passport, which thanks you for your custom, and informs you that online purchase is possible on their website. This unusual and fun format just begs you to stash it away as a souvenir, and even show it to other people. It cleverly re-inforces the brand and by entertaining, it lessens the pain of paying.  At least it made me, and presumably other people, smile!

It’s a great marketing idea, and one that other businesses serving the visitor economy can certainly learn from.  If we’re going to be successful in business we all ought to try and think of ways to make the payment process more fun, and try to prolong the happy memories that come from realising that a  particular purchase really was money well spent.

Who else is great at merchandising?

A few years ago, when working in the retail industry myself,  I had the pleasure of working with Mary Portas, who at the time was marketing director at Harvey Nichols. It was she who first explained to me the importance of visual merchandising in retailing, and how you can persuade people to spend more easily when you create an almost theatrical experience for them to enjoy with visual displays. An environment that makes people feel confident and comfortable, one that  creates a  feast for the senses, is one that encourages people to reach for their purses and wallets.

Another retailer that I know already puts an amazing amount of effort into their point of sale presentation is Liz Earle. This company, led by  the eponymous natural skin care guru, is another of my favourite retailers. They sell natural skin care products, which I love because I have very sensitive skin myself. In fact they’re just about to launch a new fragrance ( as an avid fan, I got an email alert this week).

In their shops, in which all their lotions and potions are beautifully presented, you’ll find knowledgeable staff who bend over backwards to give you advice about the products without you feeling under any obligation. You really feel they care. They actually chat as you hand over your cash or card, and they take great care in wrapping your purchases beautifully in tissue lined bags. They’ll offer you a loyalty card if you’d care to call in again, and I found that if you recommend a friend who orders online and mentions your recommendation, they’ll send you a thank you gift. Finally, before you leave the shop they may well offer you a trial size  product of your choice.

Why it’s important to take pride in giving good service

All the research shows that in a recession, businesses need to put in more effort to persuade consumers to part with their hard earned cash, as people are cutting back their spending and giving more priority to saving or paying off debts.  So I think there’s a lot to be learned from companies such as these who are differentiating themselves by offering something different in the way they are merchandising their offering and serving their customers.

In the run up to London 2012, Britain is going to be an increasing focus for  the world’s attention. Our retailers are going to be among those businesses that are going to get noticed by the media, so let’s hope that it’s for all the right reasons.

Do you know an innovative retailer? Why not tell me about them.

Further reading

If you want to find out more about the anthropology of shopping, behavioural economics, and the nuero marketing techniques that encourage people to spend, I recommend reading Buyology by brand futurist Martin Lindstrom.

Until next week…