St Barnabas, Brampton Bryan

Easier to understand than leaflets, as it is more interactive…

St Barnabas is a Grade I listed building and an integral part of the small village of Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire. It is believed to be one of only six English churches built or rebuilt during the Commonwealth Period (1649–1660), after being destroyed together with much of the adjoining castle and the majority of the village during the Civil War.

An Info Point and touchscreen tablet were installed into the church as part of a wider National Lottery Heritage Fund capital works project. The Info Point enables visitors to gain a greater understanding about the rich heritage of the church, and includes two church tours: one that explores the history and architecture and another designed specifically for children.

The Project Leaders waited a few months before providing feedback about Info Point to ensure they could give an honest account of how visitors had been using it.

I am very happy to let you know how happy we are with the Info Point system. When it is explained to people they are initially surprised at how much information is on the system, and are very interested in the history, and easier to understand than leaflets, as it is more interactive. It is instructive not only for the church, but the village benefits too.

We are planning to make visitors more aware that Info Point is there, as a few people, particularly the more senior ones, don’t necessarily readily adapt to technology without assistance. We are improving our signage.

We have had several organised visits from other churches to look at the system, to see how they could benefit from Info Point. I understand that some are proceeding.
Michael Dugdale, Churchwarden, St Barnabas