BYGONES
Helping a new generation discover the magic of the past
OUR WORK > BYGONES
Leaflet design, websites, online shop, photography and visitor signage
Bygones is filled with stories.
Across three floors, visitors can wander through a life-size Victorian street, step inside period rooms, discover wartime Britain and encounter everything from a 27-ton steam engine to an old-fashioned sweet shop.
But the attraction’s marketing wasn’t showing the full experience. Some people still thought Bygones was mainly for older visitors, when its sense of discovery appeals just as much to children, families and anyone curious about the past.
We helped the Cuming family bring that experience to life through a joined-up visitor attraction marketing project, combining original photography, a redesigned leaflet, two new websites and storytelling materials within the attraction.
The result was a fresher, more inviting presence that showed visitors of every age just how much there was waiting to be discovered inside.
The project at a glance
Client: Bygones
Sector: Tourism, hospitality and leisure
Support: Photography, leaflet design, bespoke illustration, website design, e-commerce development and visitor signage
Goal: Show the full scale and variety of the attraction, appeal to a wider audience and make it easier for people to plan their visit
An attraction full of stories, with only part of the story being seen
Bygones is an independent family attraction created and run by three generations of the Cuming family.
Since opening in St Marychurch in 1987, it has grown into a wonderfully detailed journey through British history, filled with genuine artefacts, recreated streets, period rooms, railway displays and wartime collections.
The experience had plenty to offer visitors of all ages, but the existing leaflet and online presence weren’t fully communicating that.
For people who hadn’t visited before, it was difficult to appreciate the scale of the attraction or understand how immersive it really was. There was also a perception that Bygones was mainly for older visitors interested in nostalgia.
In reality, children and families loved exploring the Victorian street, watching the model railway, visiting the sweet shop and discovering the many surprises hidden throughout the building.
The marketing needed to show that bigger picture.
Experiencing Bygones through the eyes of a visitor
Before beginning the creative work, we visited Bygones and explored all three floors for ourselves.
We wandered through the Victorian streets, railway platforms, traditional shopfronts and wartime displays, taking photographs and noticing the details that make the attraction so memorable.
This gave us the opportunity to experience Bygones as a first-time visitor might.
We could see which exhibits immediately captured attention, where the sense of scale needed to be communicated and how much variety was hidden behind the entrance.
By understanding the visitor journey, we could create marketing that didn’t simply list what was there, but captured the feeling of stepping inside and discovering it for yourself.
Creating a leaflet that invited people to explore
The redesigned leaflet needed to give potential visitors a much better sense of what awaited them.
We combined engaging photography with a bespoke hand-drawn map that guided people through the attraction’s three floors and highlighted the variety of exhibits they could experience.
The content was shaped to appeal across generations, showing that Bygones offered much more than nostalgia. It was somewhere families could explore together, with stories, sights and interactive moments for children and adults alike.
We chose an uncoated paper stock that complemented the historic character of the attraction and gave the finished leaflet a more authentic, tactile feel.
Distributed throughout the South West, the leaflet became a small preview of the experience itself: full of character, detail and things waiting to be discovered.
Bringing the sense of discovery online
Bygones needed a website that made planning a visit simple while capturing some of the atmosphere found inside the attraction.
We created a new visitor website that brought together practical information such as opening times, prices and location alongside galleries and content exploring the different displays.
The site was designed to help people understand the scale of Bygones before arriving and encourage them to explore everything from Victorian life and the railway exhibits to wartime Britain and shopping through the decades.
Clearer navigation made it easier for families, groups and schools to find the information relevant to their visit.
Most importantly, the website gave the attraction a welcoming digital presence that reflected the care, history and personality found inside.
Creating a second home for a specialist collection
Alongside the main attraction website, Richard also needed a separate platform for his personal collection of wartime memorabilia.
This was a specialist project aimed at collectors rather than general visitors, so it needed its own identity, structure and online experience.
We created a dedicated website and online shop where people could browse and purchase items from the collection.
The site had to make an extensive and detailed range easy to explore, while giving Richard a practical way to manage products and continue developing the collection online.
By separating the two audiences, each website could serve a clear purpose without confusing visitors to the main Bygones attraction.
Continuing the stories inside the attraction
The storytelling didn’t end once visitors walked through the door.
We also created new signage to help explain more about the displays and the fascinating objects found throughout Bygones.
These additional details helped visitors understand the history behind what they were seeing and encouraged them to pause, look more closely and uncover stories they might otherwise have missed.
The signage became part of the wider experience, supporting the family’s aim of bringing the past to life rather than simply placing it behind glass.
What changed
A more accurate picture of the experience
The new photography, messaging and hand-drawn map showed the true scale and variety of Bygones, helping families understand how much there was to explore.
A clearer online journey
The visitor website made it easier to discover the attraction and plan a visit, while the separate online shop created a dedicated space for collectors.
More stories brought to life
The redesigned leaflet and in-attraction signage gave the fascinating objects, displays and environments greater context, helping visitors connect with the history around them.
“The whole team understand our needs, are friendly and easy to work with. Highly rated business.”
Richard Cuming, Bygones
The past, presented for a new generation
Bygones now has marketing and digital platforms that more accurately reflect the experience waiting inside.
The refreshed leaflet has been distributed throughout the South West, helping potential visitors see that the attraction offers something for every generation.
The main website provides a clearer and more engaging introduction to Bygones, while the specialist online shop gives Richard’s wartime collection a dedicated home and access to a much wider audience.
Within the attraction, the new signage adds another layer to the visitor journey by revealing more of the stories behind the exhibits.
Bygones has always been a place where every item has a story.
Our role was to help more people discover them.
Does your marketing show people what they’re missing?
You may know how special your attraction, venue or experience is, but people can only respond to what they can see and understand.
The right photography, design, messaging and website can help people picture themselves there, appreciate what makes the experience different and feel excited to visit.
If your marketing is only telling part of your story, let’s talk about how we can bring the rest of it to life.
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