Seaton Tramway

Modern Electric Tramways Ltd

Seaton Tramway

Born as the restoration of an earlier Victorian-Era train line, Seaton Tramway has been a successful tourist attraction for over 50 years. Sarner were chosen through a competitive tender to design and deliver new exciting upgrades at different stops along the line, including new interpretation and wayfinding, object displays, interactive exhibits and audio-visual experiences.

Location
Devon, UK
Services
- Story, Research & Interpretation - Concept Design & Visualisation - Scheme & Detailed Design - Project Engineering & Technical Design - Interior Design, Set and Staging Design - Lighting, Audio, Video, Network Design - Writing & Content Development - Media & Film Production - Audiovisual & Interactive Technologies - Graphics - Lighting - Theming - Show Control Specification - Show Programming - Technical Installation & Commissioning - Construction & Installation - Support & Maintenance - Training - Consultancy
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Seaton Tramway

Wayfinding

Client's brief

Seaton Tramway is a heritage attraction that offers visitors a journey back in time with its narrow gauge tramcars, stunning coastal views, and charming seaside towns. The tramway provides a unique mode of transportation, allowing visitors to explore the stunning Axe Valley at a leisurely pace.

The tramline has been undergoing various improvements over the years, to become one of the area’s main touristic assets. The Client wanted us to bring this much loved attraction one step ahead, in line with contemporary technology, modern interpretation and museum display practice.

The complex story of how the tramline was created needed to come to the fore in a clear and engaging manner; a sense of visitor journey was needed to integrate the various stations, allowing the tram passengers to enjoy the ride as a learning experience. Moreover, an updated and cohesive system of signage and orientation had to be implemented.

Seaton Tramway

Our solution

Sarner approached each point of interest from a visitor’s perspective, and applied our long standing involvement in experience and exhibition design to each area, effectively turning the tramline into an open-air museum, treating it as the main subject of the project as well as the means through which the displays could be accessed.

The displays delve deep into the history of the tramline and the people who contributed to its birth and development, whilst also presenting the geographical surrounds in an informative and engaging manner.

Features

Graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design
Our graphic design struck a balance between boldness and clarity, being able to celebrate the tramline on its 50th anniversary whilst adhering to a visual style that could be immediately recognised as pertinent to the transportation industry. As well as interpretation, we delivered view finding-panels, station signage and informative boards.
Tactile displays
Tactile displays
Tactile displays
Tactile displays
Interactive exhibit
Younger audiences can have fun discovering the fauna inhabiting the local wetlands through tactile displays and a colourful approach to graphic design. A new interactive exhibit explains how electricity is delivered to the line and the trams. We also introduced ‘Gilbert’s Trail’, an interactive booklet which families can enjoy together as they explore the Tramway. Filled with facts about the heritage attraction, children are also tasked to collect all the stamps which are positioned along the five stops.
Interpretation space
Exhibits
Exhibits
Postcard display
Postcard display
We created a number of exhibits, both indoors and outdoors, responding to the challenge of working in various environmental conditions and sensibly integrating our work in the existing infrastructure. At Colyton Station, we created a small interpretation space in the old ‘Milk Churn’, where a video and object display explain the history of the line and the people who worked on it, including Gilbert Cowd, the former Station Master of Colyton Station. Along Colyton’s platform postcards now sit, which tell the real-life stories originally sent from Seaton, helping visitors imagine what travel must have meant before the advent of road transport. Original artifacts are shown at different locations, reinforcing the link between past and present: from a train timetable from the 1940s to a ticket machine from the 1970s, an essential story of travelling on tracks is traced, quenching the thirst for details of the train enthusiast whilst stirring the interest of the culturally curious.
LED screen
Audiovisual experience
The new giant 7.5m wide LED screen at one of the line ends plays a short video before each departure, showing guests the history of the branch line and where it operates in East Devon and on the Jurassic Coast. Sarner curated and produced all the digital contents of the tramway upgrades. Our creative direction honoured the historical importance of the trams while adding a contemporary touch to the visual style.

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