Backbone of the museum: What it's like to be the face of Hartlebury Castle

As a senior visitor services assistant he helps to ensure that everyone gets the most from their visit to Hartlebury Castle, near Kidderminster.

It incorporates the Bishop’s Palace – home to the Bishops of Worcester for more than 1,000 years – and Worcestershire County Museum, known for its fascinating collections including costumes and transport.

“We’re the face of the museum. We’re the people visitors see when they arrive and we meet and greet them, answer any questions they might have and make sure they have a good visit,” explains Jonathan, who lives in Bewdley.

But he’s also an integral part of the behind the scenes team helping to bring the displays to life for visitors and ensuring the historic site is preserved for future generations.

It’s a varied role that ranges from every day tasks such as ensuring the museum is spick and span for guests to bringing historical figures and children’s characters to life for special events.

“It might mean dressing up as George III, the Easter Bunny or the Pirate King. We like to throw ourselves into it. It’s something a bit different for the visitors and they get to see how much the staff enjoy working here,” says Jonathan, who also works as an actor.

Stories

As part his role, he loves spending time chatting to visitors as they discover the story of Worcestershire’s past and all of the different collections from costumes to toys and room sets such as as the schoolroom and scullery.

“It’s nice when people can relate to the objects and you hear them say ‘my mum had one of those’ or ‘my gran had one of those’.

“We had a man looking at the Gypsy caravans and he pointed at one of the Vardos and said ‘my sister was born in that’.

“We had a lovely lady who used to work in the kitchens and although it had completely changed, she could walk around and remember the noises and the smells from when she was there,” says Jonathan, who also works as an actor.

Over the years he has learned to recognise the visitors who want to talk and those would prefer to have peace and quiet.

“You learn to read people and know when they are happy to stop and chat or when they would prefer to be pointed in the right direction and left to look after themselves,” says Jonathan, who last month appeared in The Tempest at Worcester Rep.

His favourite part of the museum is the collection of beautifully decorated Gypsy caravans showing the evolving style of the Vardo.

“It’s a fabulous collection. There is a big travellers heritage in Worcestershire and it’s important this collection is saved,” says Jonathan.

And his favourite object is one that makes him smile every time he sees it.

“There is a photograph of schoolchildren dancing around the Maypole in the early 20th century and the children’s faces are endlessly fascinating.

“They’ve got the most fantastic expressions on their faces.I always stop and look at that photo.

“I’ve been here 12 years but I still walk past objects and think ‘I’ve never seen that before’.

“One of the nicest things is when a gallery gets redisplayed and you get to see things that haven’t been displayed for years, if ever,” explains Jonathan.

Always learning

Over the years his knowledge of the site and its collections has grown but he says he enjoys being asked questions he doesn’t know the answer to.

“I like this because it means I can go away to try find out the answer and hopefully catch the visitor before they leave. I learn something new too,” says Jonathan.

He also helps the conservation team ensure the collection is protected by keeping an eye out for pests such as woodworm and making sure it’s looking its best for visitors.

“One day I’ll be looking for any signs of woodworm in the stores and the next I’ll be putting shoe polish on a penny farthing. We get to interact with the collection and it’s nice to handle the objects when we have the chance,” says Jonathan.

The site has recently been boosted by the restoration of the Bishop’s Place, helping to make it a larger visitor attraction.

It came after the Hartlebury Castle Preservation Trust was awarded £5 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund to purchase Hartlebury Castle and to ensure its long term future as a heritage asset for the nation.

Visitors can explore rooms in the castle never before open to the public, promenade along the restored Long Gallery, marvel at talking portraits and follow in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth I, King George III and Queen Charlotte as they explore the historic grounds.

“When I first started working at the museum, it was still closed to the public so it’s great to see it finished and open.

“It’s a big site and a lot of people don’t realise that it’s a full day out. When you hear visitors comment on how much there is to see here, it’s very satisfying,” says Jonathan.

Museums audiences manager Helen Large says the work of Jonathan and the rest of the team of visitor services assistants was invaluable.

“Visitor services assistants are the backbone of the museum – we couldn’t open without them. Our curators look after the objects and visitor services assistants make these displays magical for visitors to the museum,” she adds.