2006 Awards

We are happy to recommend the Hardman House for a general Award. This was a charming experience even for those in the judging team who, without a keen interest in photography, were expecting to find it quite dull. The house brought the Hardmans to life as a somewhat eccentric couple, and while our experience didn’t quite match all of the stated interpretive plan’s objectives, it made for an enjoyable and atmospheric visit.

The tour of the house was highly engineered but worked well, without us feeling time was palling or that we were being shifted on to the next room too quickly. The guides were quite different in style, some more rehearsed than others, but the variety added to the character of the visit, and overall we felt the performance of the obviously volunteer guides was to be commended, reflecting the NT’s investment in training. We felt that the presentation of material, both spoken and via copy text was digestible and appropriate to the main target audiences, and we did not feel bombarded with facts about the Hardmans or photography.

The one slight flaw was the trip from the back of the house round the block to the front to begin the tour, during which other buildings were pointed out. This seemed tangential and unnecessary and we wondered if a better way of starting the tour without having to go round the block could be designed.