Sydell Group – Bow Street Police Museum
Occupying the former Police Station offices and cells, Bow Street Police Museum tells the story of the Bow Street Runners and the Metropolitan Police officers who patrolled the streets of Covent Garden in their footsteps. I was commissioned to design the museum, its displays and graphics as well as the gifts and merchandise collections for the shop.
Locked up in lockdown.
The brief for the museum design came with no shortage of challenges! How to present historic and contemporary content consistently across both new and original areas of the building in a way that feels integral, not intrusive. The design also had to compliment the sophistication of the NoMad hotel that occupies the majority of the building where the museum is housed. On top of that, The Museum was designed and constructed almost entirely during the 2020 coronavirus lockdown!
The solution was a modular graphic display system using prison bar inspired rails to display graphic panels printed direct to Valchromat. The system allowed for multiple layout options for the rich mix of stories, graphics and historic images and created a consistent visual and structural language that flows seamlessly from the new to the original, and restored areas of the museum.
The graphic language avoids common police tropes and employs more surprising approach. A restrained colour palette, contrasting dark grey walls and panels with a vivid orange for title panels (taken from the Bow Street square on a monopoly board) is employed throughout with dramatic effect.
Images: Steve Lancefield
“Andy’s vision and concept exceeded all expectations. The clean yet bold design combined with an innovative hanging system has brought the content to life and added depth and creativity to the space. Working together during the pandemic, Andy was supportive and patient as timeframes and access to site shifted and worked tirelessly to ensure a high quality and engaging museum design was delivered.”
Jen Kavanagh, Curator, Bow Street Police Museum
