The Waterways and it's history:
First opened in 1928, the Grade II-listed park and tourist attraction along North Drive was commissioned by Great Yarmouth Borough Council as an employment relief programme after the First World War, with local men involved in its construction.
90 years after its grand opening, the Waterways began a restoration process which culminated in its reopening earlier this year.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council, in partnership with Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust, is working with the community on a flagship £2.7m project, supported by the National Lottery, to restore the Grade II-listed seafront attraction, including the Boating Lake.
Work is funded by a £1.7m National Lottery grant awarded through the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund, plus further support from the borough council, New Anglia LEP and the Government.
The project aims to involve the community in enhancing and interpreting a unique community facility, tourist attraction and heritage asset, supporting the local economy, boosting civic pride and providing people with meaningful opportunities to improve skills and access further training or employment.
Since ground was broken in June 2018, contractors have removed the 1960s extensions to the Boating Lake Island Café, stripped back and reinstated the garden beds, excavated and cleaned the rockery, reinstated the pergolas, and are continuing the extensive concrete restoration across the site.
The Island Café, model boat club hut and two Waterways shelters have already been thoroughly re-thatched, while the contractor is continuing restoration work on the concrete bridges, crazy paving and dragon-tooth edging, and reinstating the rockeries.
Currently, volunteers are working alongside recently-appointed Waterways gardeners, Ian Guest and Duncan McKinnell, plus new horticultural apprentice, Simon Swallow, to put in some 6,500 plants, with this gardening work set to finish in the next few weeks. Around 75 per cent of the planting is now complete, with much completed by volunteers from Great Yarmouth Green Gym.
The original planting scheme was exhibited at the 1928 RHS International Exhibition of Garden Design, where it was considered bold for moving away from familiar seaside bedding and instead using perennials and annuals in drifts.
College students, working with the preservation trust, will also soon begin joinery and carpentry works on the wooden and steel bridges and the weather shelters, while contractors are completing the heavy landscaping and engineering.
I started at Great Yarmouth Borough Council in January 2019 and found an external agency had already started work on the brand for the yet to be opened Waterways. Following discussions with colleagues and partners, including those from the Preservation Trust and the Heritage Lottery Fund, it was clear the designs presented were not representing the site or its values (see below).
I was instructed to begin work on a new logo which, "took into account the site’s heritage and rustic features, such as the thatched shelters and the sinuous form of the canals and boating lake in addition to simply capturing the 1920’s era.
The park’s design was not Art Deco or crisp and geometric but rustic, playful and quirky and you don’t want to lose what is distinctive in Great Yarmouth by adopting a generic 1920’s style. The water bodies, and opportunities they give, are special characteristics that differentiate this park from many other public parks."
Although not influenced by the Art Deco period, the Waterways were first constructed during a time when Art Deco designs would have been part of everyday life.
When talking about and designing something synonymous with the 1920s period it is extremely difficult to produce a design which does not have any Art Deco features. Therefore, I felt it vitally important to explore 1920s / Art Deco design to get a feel for the era and to establish some of its identifiable features.
Developing the 'W' from the unique font set I had created evolved the design in to the final logo which can be seen below. The colours were chosen to enhance our marketing potential, its recognisability and to compliment some of our partner's logos including the Lottery Heritage Fund's new brand.
Following the completion of the logo, attention now focused on the interpretation boards which would be placed around the site to inform members of the public about various aspects of the Waterways. Again, this was part of the project which had been sent externally for completion, however, it was not going to be delivered on time for the opening event so I was asked to produce the boards.
Extending and using the brand:
On Easter Sunday 2019, families were invited to re-discover the park by taking part in an Easter Adventure Trail organised by the council. It was then followed by the Duck Race, organised by the Great Yarmouth Haven Rotary Club.
The Easter Adventure Trail invites people to follow a trail around the Waterways and solve the clues to receive an Easter egg and certificate. Children are also invited to take part in an Easter bonnet parade for a chance to win family day out passes.
As part of this free community event, there will also be a host of other fun crafts and activities, plus the chance to watch a Punch and Judy show from Professor Philips, of Dandini Puppets.
Evaluation
The purpose of creating a new brand for the waterways was to reinforce the public's perception of it being a key heritage site as well as identifying it as a place to visit, enjoy and learn. The power of a brand can inspire people. It ties together all the activities at the waterways and helps publicise the entire site under one simple, strong and memorable logo.
Still in its early stages, the logo and brand is performing well in encouraging the public (both residents and tourists) to visit the site. It has been received well by internal and external audiences and has had many positive comments in person and across social media.
As the site develops and the boating lake opens, there will be more opportunity for this brand to evolve. A Community Engagement and Events Coordinator has recently been employed who will be creating a calendar of events and working in conjunction with the brand to improve the recognition and prestige of the site as well as the wider area.
