Dorset Museum, Dorchester

A landmark in the local community for over 175 years

The Project

Dorset Museum has been a landmark in the local community for over 175 years. In 2016, after years of welcoming over 45,000 visitors through its doors each year, the museum closed to undergo a £16 million refurbishment. This included an extension that would allow more of the Museum’s collection to be on display; prior to this only 2% of the museum’s collection could be exhibited.

Having worked within the museum and heritage sector for over 60 years, Leach has the skills, experience and industry understanding to deliver high-quality graphics – however big or small the requirements. Each and every graphic produced by Leach was manufactured in-house by our skilled and experienced team, and our dedicated project managers ensured that the client’s objectives across time, quality and budget were met.

With over 500 graphics needing to be produced and installed, our team were able to tap into our years of expertise to manage every aspect of the Museum’s visual experience with ease. There were a multitude of design requirements. We produced over 60 large scale wallpapers, dibond panels, brass fret cut lettering and vinyls.

The Result

One of the most exciting parts of the project was our venture into accessible braille graphics; we worked with Western Signs to produce these. The importance of what we were creating was not lost on our team. Two million people are registered blind or partially sighted in the UK, we are proud to have been part of a project that allows such people the same freedoms and experiences as everyone else.

The wallpapers proved challenging, but Leach is always happy to tackle a challenge headfirst. Challenges allow our team to collaborate and garner the experience of our staff to produce the best response possible. The wallpapers had to be precisely cut to fit exact spaces within the exhibition down to the millimetre. The constant, open communication between our project manager and the installers on site ensured the install went without a glitch.

Our legacy of world class service is driven by these collaborative efforts within the team. Everyone who works at Leach has the same drive for high quality and success. We pride ourselves on doing a good job and our position as entrusted creative leaders in the museum industry demonstrate this.

The project was fast paced, and effective communication was key. We produced the majority of graphics in a two-week period. With changes happening right up until the last minute, Leach’s production and installation team had to remain responsive and flexible throughout.

We are so thrilled with the end result. Covid restrictions meant the reopening was delayed but made the significance of the opening even greater. We are so pleased to see the Museum industry continuing to thrive despite facing such huge setbacks during the pandemic.