South West News

ARCHIE - the interactive guide at Blenheim

Visitors to Blenheim Palace can now enjoy personally tailored tours, thanks to a new state of the art app, ‘Archie - your interactive guide’, named in honour of the Palace’s former Administrator and first Chief Guide, Archie Illingworth, who worked there from 1950 to 1972, and retired after the death of the 10th Duke.

The new multimedia platform has been created through Culturati, a groundbreaking Horizon Europe RIA project, for which Britain’s Greatest Palace is the UK pilot site.

‘Archie - your interactive guide’ allows visitors to choose exactly what they would like to see and hear, and allows them to delve into over 300 years’ worth of stories - many of which have never been told before - with several of the narratives shared directly by staff members, giving authenticity and depth to the cultural heritage experience.

Some of the fascinating stories contained within the interactive guide include:
Learn how the Long Library was used as a convalescence hospital during World War I, for soldiers recovering from a variety of ailments and injuries, from gunshot and shrapnel wounds, to shock, pneumonia, and dyspepsia

Hear how the grounds of Blenheim Palace were used during World War II to test the guns on Spitfire fighter aircraft

Imagine what it was like as Archie Illingworth shares his own memories of welcoming the House of Dior to Blenheim in 1954, for the first of two fundraising fashion shows organised by the 10th Duchess in aid of the Red Cross

The app not only harnesses cutting-edge digital technologies to deliver personalised content; it also uses sophisticated sensors at Blenheim Palace to monitor and manage visitor flow, helping to optimise the guest experience through strategic crowd management.

David Green, Head of Innovation at Blenheim Palace, who is also Culturati Project Manager, commented: “It is a real honour for Blenheim Palace to be the UK pilot site for this unique collaboration, which retells stories using the latest digital technologies with elements of AI.

“This innovative initiative aims to revolutionise how cultural heritage and arts content is collectively created and shared across Europe. With the more traditional audio guide, our visitors were able to listen to a description of what they saw before their eyes – and that description would be the same for everyone. With ‘Archie - your interactive guide’, every visitor can enjoy a bespoke, unique experience.”

Culturati is a collaboration between 14 European partners, bringing together an interdisciplinary consortium of computer scientists, cultural and creative industries professionals, academics from various disciplines including social sciences, SMEs, public authorities, and non-profit community organisations.

The project is funded by the European Commission and coordinated by Bilkent University, with additional UK partner funding through Innovate UK. Blenheim Palace has also been working closely with Oxford Brookes University, which conducts comprehensive user research to enhance the platform's effectiveness.

To experience ‘Archie - your interactive guide’, and tailor your own visit to Blenheim Palace, go to: culturati.blenheimpalace.com/