Gustav's Time Travelling Treasure Hunt . Historic England | Stanley Arts

This immersive trail followed the story of Gustav, a time travelling goat inventor from the Victorian times who got trapped in the future after a meteor crashed into his time machine. Taking place across a London High Street, the trail brought the community together after lockdown to engage people with the heritage of the area, echoing the journey and legacy of inventor William Stanley. This crossed physical and digital space, being an app led trail featuring actors, art and sound installations, and clues revealed by animations. 

 

Following the stories of prominent local characters such local suffragists, the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, people were led to independent high street shops where clues were baked into cakes, in parks hidden in tree trunks, and escape-room style escapades. As it was during Covid-19, a live stream version was also created where people could join in from home, and a booklet for those without phones. This was completely sustainable through a partnership with the Work Play Scrapstore to create costumes + set using repurposed materials.

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The event was held over three days and sold out with over 300 people taking part. In participant feedback, when asking if the trail made participants feel more connected to the heritage of the area 71% gave the high possible response . 

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Kat Pegler. Lead Creator, Artist, Producer + Composer

Zaira Aguilar: Gustav Illustrator and Clue Animator 

Rosie Gearty: Set + Costume Design 

John Hickman: Historical Consultant