Work done
Client: Wilton Parish
Following the publication of a successful promotional leaflet for St Mary & St Nicholas’ ‘Italianate’ Church in Wilton. Wilton parish approached Addison Design to re-design their aging Guide Book. This spectacular church has so many hidden delights and a vast history of artifacts dating back to as early as c151 BC!
The opportunity to bring all this into one guide booklet was right up our street and too good a chance to miss.
The brief...
The brief consisted of handing over the old Guide Book, a cut-down version of the text and a desire for us to make it better than the last one… a bit like ‘The Repair Shop!!’.
The new text was a vast improvement on the old version but full of inconsistencies therein. New photography was promised (and appeared) which was music to my ears.
Time to get cracking…
Our approach
Although I have always admired the impressive architecture of St Mary & St Nicholas’ Church from afar, I’m ashamed to say I’ve never ventured inside. However, this was now a bonus as I could visit armed with the old guide book and the new text with no preconcieved ideas, just as any new tourist would. Little did I know I as about to be immersed into an incredible journey through history. Stained glass windows of Napolionic glass, others from the 10th, 15th & 16th centuary. Parts of a shrine from 1256, 17th century carved wooden doors, gold mosaic ceilings and columns from a Roman Temple of Venus dating back to c151 BC.
Over the next few weeks I visited several times, re-wrote and added bits of text whilst standarising everything, changed the running order to crate a sensible journey around the church and re-drew the plan.
This guide needed to serve two purposes, to create a functional and informative journey around the church but also as an interesting reference book full of facts to take away and refer to. We think it does both and more.