Excavator
Ashford, Kent 1819
With Great Britain in the height of the Industrial Revolution, wealthy business owners would strive to find new ways to drive down running costs and push for the highest profit margins. Among these was famed factory owner Sir William Whitgrave. Having made his fortune in the excavation and manufacture of iron cladding, Whitgrave was relying on steam power to keep his factories running, however as the business rapidly expanded this would prove to not be enough. However, while mining for iron one of his workers would make a world changing discovery. A collection of peculiar light blue crystals had been found in one of the excavation zones and was quickly sent off to be analysed. The crystal was identified as Emerite and not only carried extreme value and exclusivity, but also the promise of an almost unlimited source of power and the possibility to change the world forever. Whitgrave, however, was known to be a selfish man with only his own interests at heart and would set up hidden excavation zones to mine the crystals in secret. Thus began Project Ashford, Whitgrave’s secret plan to conceal the discovery of Emerite to prevent competition from rival businesses, however this was short lived. Upon Whitgrave’s arrest for money laundering and tax fraud, the excavation zones and Emerite supplies were sealed off never to be seen again.
Until now.
The year is 2021, and you have discovered a strange hidden factory. The miners who are stuck in time recruit you to help them. Upon descending via an elevator into a dark underground chasm, you encounter a fearsome looking machine surrounded by blue crystals. Giant spiked wheels tower over you casting a shadow onto the dimly lit walls. You know why you have been sent here – to gather samples of the crystals for lab testing. However, this soon is not your only concern. Alarms ring out and out of nowhere the mechanical beast roars into action. Now not only will you have to make it out with the samples, you will have to make it out with your life and escape the Excavator.
With Great Britain in the height of the Industrial Revolution, wealthy business owners would strive to find new ways to drive down running costs and push for the highest profit margins. Among these was famed factory owner Sir William Whitgrave. Having made his fortune in the excavation and manufacture of iron cladding, Whitgrave was relying on steam power to keep his factories running, however as the business rapidly expanded this would prove to not be enough. However, while mining for iron one of his workers would make a world changing discovery. A collection of peculiar light blue crystals had been found in one of the excavation zones and was quickly sent off to be analysed. The crystal was identified as Emerite and not only carried extreme value and exclusivity, but also the promise of an almost unlimited source of power and the possibility to change the world forever. Whitgrave, however, was known to be a selfish man with only his own interests at heart and would set up hidden excavation zones to mine the crystals in secret. Thus began Project Ashford, Whitgrave’s secret plan to conceal the discovery of Emerite to prevent competition from rival businesses, however this was short lived. Upon Whitgrave’s arrest for money laundering and tax fraud, the excavation zones and Emerite supplies were sealed off never to be seen again.
Until now.
The year is 2021, and you have discovered a strange hidden factory. The miners who are stuck in time recruit you to help them. Upon descending via an elevator into a dark underground chasm, you encounter a fearsome looking machine surrounded by blue crystals. Giant spiked wheels tower over you casting a shadow onto the dimly lit walls. You know why you have been sent here – to gather samples of the crystals for lab testing. However, this soon is not your only concern. Alarms ring out and out of nowhere the mechanical beast roars into action. Now not only will you have to make it out with the samples, you will have to make it out with your life and escape the Excavator.
The entrance for the guests. It is quite mysterious yet it set the tone for the whole ride.
The first building you walk through in the queue is the conservatory which has been utilised as a break room for all the hard working miners.
The interior houses many of the factories piping and a tree. Many miners have their stories about the tree but truthfully it is still a secret why it was left up during construction.
The explorers exit the conservatory and then make their way into the factory to discover its secrets.
The guests then make their way into the next room ready to make their descent into the mine. They are then separated into two groups due to the seating arrangements of a Huss top spin and the capacity of the elevator.
Once the elevators have gotten the bottom the guests stay lined up in their respective groups waiting for the previous group to disembark till it is their go. The ride experience is randomised giving the riders a new sensation every ride encouraging re-riding. The ride will also have plenty of mist, lights and an onboard soundtrack that keeps the rider from truly seeing where they are going.
The guests then return to the surface using another elevator. They can climb up a spiral staircase to get a view from a above via the control tower from there they can go over a bridge which crosses directly above the attraction. The bridge has a see through floor so guests who aren’t riding can see their family and friends riding down below.
The cast members are another essential part in telling the story so I have created some concepts for outfits they can wear during the summer and winter. The cast members play the role of the miners who are stuck in time.
Along with the drawings I also create 3D renderings of the area. Below are some images from different angles.
It was incredibly fun to make this project and thank you Rob Yeo for the challenge. You can check him out on Twitter @robjyeo and check out the hashtag #armchairimagineering for other people’s interpretations of the brief
