Many cultural organisations unintentionally design for themselves rather than their visitors. When welcome, relevance and emotional connection are missing, even the most significant places can feel distant. A thoughtful shift in starting point can transform both experience and income.

From handwritten letters carried by sailing ships to signals bouncing off satellites in space, Cornwall has played a pivotal role in how humans learned to communicate across distance. This blog explores four key moments - ship, cable, wireless and satellite - mapped across the Cornish landscape, and reflects on what this remarkable heritage can teach us about connection, place and the future of communication.

We made marmalade at home the other day, because Seville oranges had arrived and the season demanded it. At the same time, marmalade was quietly appearing elsewhere too - in judging rooms at Dalemain, in kitchens around the world, and in the way certain places choose to take everyday things seriously. This is a piece about how traditions are made, not inherited - and what happens when kitchens, confidence and care meet place.

As we head into a new year, I’ve been thinking less about trends and more about conditions - the conditions we create for visitors, for colleagues, and for ourselves in cultural, heritage and landscape places.

For us non-alcoholic drinkers, let’s explore life beyond cheap orange juice…

A long awaited visit to Sissinghurst garden galvanises Jon’s reflections on perspectives in gardens, museums, galleries, landscapes and heritage sites

It’s reflection time in Jon’s blog post this week - and he’s getting on his soapbox!

Jon reflects on the age old question - is less more or is more more when it comes to collections in museums and galleries?

A day is not enough. This week Jon is reflecting on great overnight stays at various locations - and what makes them extra special. There are roses, skeletons and the odd tiger thrown in too.

Are historic houses places for grown-ups only?

This week Jon’s getting nostalgic for late 1980s television and feeling inspired for a butter race.

In his first Eagle & Oak blog post, Jon’s got tantalising reasons to return to some old favourite places, and a few uncharted destinations too on his 2023 list.