Guest blog by Joshua Tickner, Museum Futures Trainee
I’m Joshua Tickner, an aspiring museum professional and a member of The British Museum’s 2019 Museum Futures cohort based at the Somerset Heritage Centre in Taunton. During my year-long traineeship I successfully pitched the idea of producing a trial podcast for the South West Heritage Trust as a new way of communicating with the public.
I chose to create a podcast on Norton Fitzwarren Hillfort. It’s a fascinating site that has been in use for over 3000 years and comes complete with its own dragon legend. The hillfort has recently been acquired by Somerset West and Taunton Council with grant aid from Historic England, South West Heritage Trust and the local Parish Council.
My goal with this podcast was to bring the hillfort to life. I attempted to replicate the experience of a walking tour by recording my conversations with Bob Croft, Head of the Historic Environment and Estates, as we explored the site. Bob’s incredible insight on the hillfort made him an invaluable interviewee.
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- Bob, Josh and Nick recording the podcast at Norton Fitzwarren Hillfort
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- Nick and Josh setting up the audio recording equipment
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- Josh interviewing Bob at Norton Fitzwarren Hillfort
This podcast wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Museum Futures programme. Special thanks are due to Nick Harris, Senior Producer at The British Museum, who brought a range of audio equipment to Taunton to make the recording. His knowledge of how to record high quality audio outdoors on a windy day (with the occasional helicopter flypast) was also crucial!
More Information
- For further information on Norton Fitzwarren Hillfort you can watch at the Somerset Historic Environment Record ‘how-to’ video
- The site is easily accessible, located in Norton Fitzwarren on the outskirts of Taunton. There is a small car park next to the entrance to the hillfort on Hilly Park Road, Norton Fitzwarren, just to the west of Norton Fitzwarren Community Primary School. Click here for a detailed map and further information on the site
- Museum Futures is The British Museum’s latest Skills for the Future training programme. It has been generously supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.