Finding my place at Tyntesfield: An exploration of plurality

Finding my place at Tyntesfield

ESRC Festival of Social Science

The Challenge

In 2015, the Rhodes Must Fall movement initiated an international conversation about decolonization that was reinvigorated by the Black Lives Matter protests in response to the death of George Floyd in 2020. These events prompted conversations around how we can be more aware of and responsible to social justice issues in many sectors. 

Staff working in education and heritage environments are working increasingly towards making their spaces universally welcoming and inclusive, providing opportunities to engage with and learn from a variety of perspectives. At the University of Exeter, staff and students have worked collaboratively on a range of decolonization initiatives aiming to make marginalized students feel valued, and to ensure that learning materials respectfully feature a range of worldviews and voices. Partners at the National Trust (NT) were interested in embarking on a similar project, exploring whether and how their sites could be made more appealing to an expanded, more diverse visitor demographic – and share fresh perspectives on historical people, places, objects, and events associated with NT estates.

At Tyntesfield, a Trust property just outside Bristol, this question had been raised not only by NT staff, but also by participants in a project undertaken in partnership with the Creative Youth Network. This initiative explored the landscape of Tyntesfield through queer and even non-human perspectives. At the culmination of that work, the participants requested further sessions that would allow them to explore the context of different parts of the estate, and to consider whether and how they – and others like them – fit within these spaces and the histories they contain.

In response to this need, experts from the University of Exeter and Tyntesfield collaborated on a series of workshops delivered for marginalized youths during the 2022 ESRC Festival of Social Sciences. Participants from the Creative Youth Network were invited back to Tyntesfield to examine the estate through a decolonial lens and co-create a zine expressing alternative histories and understandings. The goal was to create an output that could be shared in both digital and hard copy formats to enrich the Tyntesfield visitor experience and to visibly demonstrate that the property is a welcoming space for all.

The Response

The project was designed and delivered by Dr Caitlin Kight (University of Exeter), Dr Miranda Garrett (National Trust), Megan Collier (National Trust), Clara O’Donnell (National Trust), and Jack Young (artist, facilitator).

Young people affiliated with the Creative Youth Network were invited to participate in the project, which comprised a series of four workshops, followed by a launch event. During the workshops, participants were given guided, behind-the-scenes tours of the Tyntesfield property, and were provided with opportunities to examine objects in the Tyntesfield collection. Particular attention was paid to spaces and materials that could be considered ‘contested’, ‘controversial’, or otherwise interesting because they represent potentially conflicting experiences or understandings of the world. For example, one visit was spent in the kitchen gardens and greenhouse, examining the ‘exotic’ plants brought back to the UK by colonial-era explorers. Participants heard about the natural and cultural histories of the species, and read passages about these and related plants in historical books from the Tyntesfield library. These experiences then informed sketches, poetry, and other reflective, creative responses produced by the participants to reinterpret Tyntesfield and see it through a decolonial lens.

A selection of the young people’s poetry was performed live during a launch event held in the foyer of the Tyntesfield house. Subsequently, a more comprehensive collection of their works was gathered into a zine which is available to property visitors; the team are currently exploring options for wider dissemination. 

The Result

Different project contributors offer a range of perspectives on the impact of this activity:

Megan Collier (Children and Young People Lead, Tyntesfield):

It was fantastic to see a group of young people so engaged with Tyntesfield’s story and feeling comfortable asking questions and exploring. The writing sessions allowed us to be more welcoming and relevant to the young people and their interests, as well as starting a two-way dialogue about difficult parts of our history. The final reading event was different to anything we’ve done in the house before – showing a creative interpretation of Tyntesfield’s history from a young person’s perspective. People that stopped and listened were intrigued and engaged with the content. One of the most important outcomes was the pride the young people felt in sharing their work with others. This achievement aligns with our goals as a ‘children and young people hub’, championing programming and research led by and for young people.

Jack Young (artist and facilitator):

When I asked about the participants’ initial impressions of Tyntesfield, or impressions before arriving, there was a wide variety of responses: ‘It's like Downton Abbey’; it felt synonymous with family Christmas (due to going as a child); they would have felt anxious coming had they not been with the LGBTQ+ group and myself as a known facilitator.

As the project progressed, the participants gained confidence in their articulations of Tyntesfield’s histories, and their agency in being able to articulate alternative histories, brought to life through historical fiction and poetry. They were particularly fascinated in the animals and other more-than-human life that circulated around the stories of Tyntesfield -- the guano-producing birds, the animals that were hunted by the Gibbs family and, perhaps most passionately, the histories of plants and colonial botany that were explored in our penultimate session. Several commented, after this session, that they would like to do more on botany.

To me, one of the strengths of the project has been the incorporation of ideas from experts from various professional backgrounds; this has allowed me to root my participatory arts practice with highly specific knowledge from Miranda's curatorial skills / knowledge, and to connect with Caitlin's research interests and explore the ways our practices could collaborate. I think having 'guest' sessions with Miranda and Caitlin gave the project dynamism, and for the participants having their ideas seen and heard by academics and curators really amplified the sense for them that their voices were important and their stories deserved to be told.

Caitlin Kight (Lecturer in Education Studies, University of Exeter):

The approaches used in this project allowed participants (and readers of the zine) to gain a unique understanding of Tyntesfield’s historical, geographical, political, and ecological context. Through our success at this property, we have shown how similar techniques could be applied at other NT sites to help both new and repeat visitors see these places in a new light. Indeed, the methods could easily be adapted in a variety of ways – for example, to uplift the voices and experiences of people from across the demographic spectrum, to educate different groups, and at other heritage and education sites. Our project demonstrates the power of co-creating knowledge with learners – and showcases what an opportunity this provides to spark curiosity, encourage greater empathy, and make everyone feel welcome.

Miranda Garrett (Property Curator, Tyntesfield):

Working with, rather than for, the young people in the group was crucial to the success of this project. The quality and depth of the interpretative zine they produced has shown us how effective handing over agency can be in encouraging participation. We will be sharing learnings across the NT, and continuing to use the zine as an interpretative resource. This project has been a timely reminder that we can, and should, try harder to remove barriers for visitors outside our usual demographic.

Feedback from the participants themselves was succinct, as they overwhelmingly shared their thoughts through their writing. The zine provides a compelling and moving account of their experience of the project.

Read the zine HERE.