Visitor Management Plan, Caldicot Castle and Country Park

Client: Monmouthshire County Council
PSC was commissioned to produce a visitor management plan for Caldicot Castle and Country Park, an important destination heritage and recreation site.

Built between the 12th and 14th centuries Caldicot Castle is a Grade I listed building. It passed into royal ownership at the end of the 14th century through marriage and eventually came under the control of the Duchy of Lancaster. It was purchased in 1885 and subsequently restored by J R Cobb, who used it as a family home and the castle passed into public ownership in 1963.

Our work focussed on auditing and assessing the existing visitor experience including the pre-arrival, the sense of welcome, the visit itself and departure. We also assessed current audiences for the castle (and adjacent country park) and identified the potential to widen and develop those audiences. A suggested approach to future evaluation and monitoring was also identified.

We set out recommendations for an integrated visitor management strategy for the castle and country park, including a single costed action plan which prioritised interventions. The visitor management action plan needed to be phased to match available funding and highlight opportunities to integrate the Castle within the Country Park itself. The research revealed that people either visited the country park or castle – we helped to create an action plan which addresses this issue (and other key visitor management challenges), gains buy-in from stakeholders and visitors, identifies organisational impacts and secures the long-term future of the site.

Clearly one of the key challenges facing the project was that a Castle is designed to keep people out and our work helped to create an enhanced sense of arrival and more welcoming experience for visitors. Additionally, as a listed building the visitor management plan had to respect the fabric of the building along with the special qualities and sense of place associated with the Castle and Country Park.

Following the production of the visitor management plan we were commissioned to advise on car parking options and prepare a detailed financial model relating to the impacts of the recommended action plan to show the impacts of the proposed interventions.

How can we help?
If you have any questions about developing a visitor management plan or carrying out an operational review or would like to discuss our work please don’t hesitate to call Richard Linington on 07866 742628 or email richard@pslplan.co.uk Have a look at some of the other castle and fort projects we have worked on.Front photo kindly supplied by Monmouthshire County Council