About the project

Walmer Castle, a Tudor fortress turned country house, played a significant role in England's coastal defence and later became the residence of the Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports, a role held by the Duke of Wellington and the late Queen Mother. As part of a major project to restore and enhance the castle's historic pleasure grounds, English Heritage secured £1.46 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore part of the gardens, which had become overgrown and inaccessible, develop activities to engage the public with the history, and improve the visitor experience.

The consultancy's role

Alix Slater Consultancy & Training was appointed to develop the Activity Plan for the Round 2 grant application. The consultancy worked closely with English Heritage staff to design and implement a comprehensive consultation plan, conducting face-to-face research with visitors, leading a public consultation open day, and facilitating teacher focus groups and partner engagement sessions. The findings informed the development of a new cross-curricular school programme, which was created in collaboration with the English Heritage learning team.

In addition to formal learning, the consultancy developed a volunteer programme and community outreach projects to engage a wider audience. These included inter-generational volunteering and ‘Men in Sheds’ initiatives, involving volunteers working alongside the Head Gardener on conservation tasks, and a project with a local charity supporting unaccompanied migrants, enabling new audiences to connect with the history of the gardens.