Waterford's museum group is planning a €120k attraction that tells the story of glass
The new exhibit would be based across the road from the Waterford Crystal visitor centre and factory.
THE MUSEUM GROUP behind a number of attractions in Waterford City has revealed its plan to develop a new ‘history of glassmaking’ attraction.
The project has been proposed by Waterford Treasures, which is responsible for three museums in the city and recently developed a virtual reality viking experience in the city’s Viking Triangle.
The museum group has issued a tender calling for applicants to develop a new visitor experience in the Bishop’s Palace Museum that would explore the history of glassmaking in the region.
In the tender document, Waterford Treasures said it expected the exhibit to become a “signature attraction” in the Ireland’s Ancient East region and would cost around €120,000 to develop.
The new exhibit would be located across the street from the House of Waterford Crystal and beside the city’s 18th-century cathedral and city hall.
Waterford Treasures said its joint-ticketing arrangement with the nearby House of Waterford Crystal, which has approximately 200,000 visitors annually, would help bring people through the door.
Bishop’s Palace Museum
Guided tours
The visitor experience would consist of a guided tour of the ground and first floors of the Bishop’s Palace and a 15-minute, interactive 3D presentation.
The tours would be led by a costumed re-enactor of Elizabeth Penrose. Her father, William Penrose, founded Waterford’s first glass factory in 1783.
Waterford Treasures said the end of the tour would supply the “wow factor”, featuring a glass-fronted cabinet filled with a collection of glass animals created in the nearby glass factory for Elizabeth Penrose and shells she collected from local beaches.
According to the tender, these items were acquired by the museum for €32,000.
In this room, visitors could also watch a 3D presentation on a wrap-around giant screen behind the cabinet which would make the glass menagerie figures “magically appear to come alive”.
Other “iconic” glasswork that would form part of the 3D experience include two of the oldest pieces of Waterford glass in existence. The development of these showcases will be tendered for separately.
The House of Waterford Crystal opened in 2010
Waterford Treasures said tenderers for the 3D experience should consider how the “iconic pieces” of glass could be animated. Applicants have also been asked to suggest possible “4D component” that could be developed for the attraction.
It said the exhibit would have “broad appeal” and the 3D tours would be available in English, Spanish and Mandarin.
Visitor numbers
Waterford Treasures, which is owned by the local council, is responsible for a number of attractions in the city, including a viking exhibit at Reginald’s Tower, a medieval museum and the neo-classical Bishop’s Palace building.
The attractions are part of Ireland’s Ancient East tourism brand, which covers the mid- and south-east counties.
Recent figures released by Fáílte Ireland showed that counties in the Ancient East region hosted a combined 1.5 million tourists last year, up from 843,000 in 2016.
Waterford was the third-most visited county in the south-east region of Ireland during 2017 with 582,000 visitors. Wexford attracted the most domestic and international tourists with Kilkenny in second place.
