Weymms Bay rail station: A starting point for visitors from the mainland
On the Ferry to Rothesay
A first glimpse of the town
Scenes from the streets
A meeting with the local authorities and community workers
On our visit, we experienced the town as tourists ourselves. A meeting with local authorities helped develop an understanding of the town, its people, its strengths and challenges.
A gap site in the centre of Guildford Square, Rothesay Pavillion
Photographed at Guildford Square
A closer look at the buildings on around the square. A number of shops and industries have had to shut down over the past years, the latest of which is the local creamery - well loved by many.
Rothesay Castle, one of the tourist attractions
As a means of generating feedback, photographs from the town were converted into drawings which were then used as 'visual surveys'. Familiar images and colours were used, as well as blank spaces in the images themselves as a space to write/draw.
Prompt questions were printed on the back to persuade answers and encourage ideas.
Prompt questions were printed on the back to persuade answers and encourage ideas.
Using the image of a disused shop, participants were asked to re-imagine it as their ideal local shop. This allowed an insight into what they felt was missing or needed more access to.
Participants used the blue sign posts to direct tourists to their favourite locations on the island, and the larger sign post to display a message to the tourists. This allowed an insight into their general response to the tourism industry as well as locations that we as outsiders could have missed.
The coat of arms is an instantly recognizable symbol of identity. Providing a blank space encouraged participants to think about the identity of today's Rothesay, or their vision for how the town should be projected and what that identity means to the inhabitants and visitors.
The process of drawing itself was a means of distilling relevant information, of finding common themes and developing the right kind of questions. Not all drawings were used in the workshop, although they all contributed to refining the information and understanding the context.
Guildford Square as photographed earlier
The workshop was attended by over 70 members of the local community. The project was titled "Have your Say, Rothesay" and took place over the course of one day. The participants spanned all age groups - from young children to the elderly. The feedback generated was passed on to the local authorities and utilized in their plan for the island over the next year.
