National Horse Racing Museum

More Than A Museum

The Brief

Steeped in history and based in the internationally recognised ‘home of horseracing’, Newmarket, Palace House was established in 1671 as the sporting and leisure retreat of King Charles II. Sold by the royal family in 1855 after two centuries of enthusiastic royal patronage, the site was used as stables and offices until 1985, after which it became increasingly derelict. Rescued in the 2010s and with significant investment, this wonderful 5-acre complex is home to world-class British sporting art, the national horse racing museum, a flagship stable yard for the retraining of racehorses – as well as a superb shop and restaurant. The problem? Not enough people knew any of that, and the branding didn’t reflect the organisation’s ambition.

Palace House aspired to be a world-class visitor and heritage experience with the primary objective to increase annual footfall to 30,000 visitors per annum, and as a result, increase income.

Our task was to create a brand that would deliver this vision.

Deliverables

Brand Strategy
Brand Identity
Brand Guidelines
Photography

Our Approach

Creating a combined strategy that tapped into the consumer trends, needs and key purchase drivers, opened a new world of experiences and visual inspiration. Thinking beyond horses and racing enables something for all to enjoy, meaning a flexible space with plenty of scope whilst still maintaining the heritage and quirks of this unique venue.

A key obstacle to attracting more visitors was the site’s disjointed brand, which had previously changed names three times.The National Horse Racing Museum (NHRM) was the most widely used and recognised, so this became the new brand name.

We created a timeless brand that allows the National Horse Racing Museum to evolve, grow and fully showcase everything it has to offer. Symbolising historical, royal and modern characteristics, the new logo brings inspiration, confidence, energy and spirit to the brand.

An absolute pleasure to work with Farrows, an excellent branding & strategic direction project that was delivered on time, within budget and positioned NHRM to calibrate its brand for the next 5 years. Could not have wished for a better turnaround partner.

Matthew Grant – Head of Marketing, National Horse Racing Museum