Duchy of Lancaster
Modernising a historic institution for a new era.
As public expectations around clarity and accessibility continue to grow, the Duchy needed a website that could present its work more effectively, while remaining appropriate to its heritage and responsibilities. That's where we came in to help.
The challenge
The Duchy of Lancaster is a historic, royal estate with a wide-ranging role across land, property and investment.
Its website, however, no longer reflected that role as it is today.
- The design felt dated and difficult to navigate
- Key information was hard to find and interpret
- Content was challenging for the internal team to manage
As public expectations around clarity and accessibility continue to grow, the Duchy needed a website that could present its work more effectively, while remaining appropriate to its heritage and responsibilities.
The approach
Bringing structure to complexity
We first audited the current content and reworked the site around clear user journeys, making it easier to understand:
- What the Duchy is
- What it does
- How its estates and activities are organised
Create a design that reflects both past and present
We then created new designs that balance heritage with modern usability, creating a more consistent and accessible experience across the site.
Built for everyday use
Delivered on Umbraco (previously WordPress), the platform now provides:
- A simple, intuitive editing experience
- Flexibility for future updates
- A secure and reliable foundation
This meant the internal team could take real ownership of the site with confidence.
Quba made the entire redesign and build process easy. They explained the technical aspects clearly, while showing a strong understanding of our goals, brand, and aspirations from the very beginning. Their UX and design work captured exactly the look and feel we had envisioned, and the project was managed with clear roles, realistic milestones, and excellent communication throughout. The response from our VIP stakeholders has been extremely positive. The new website is much clearer, easier to use, and better reflects our organisation and the Duchy's values. We’re delighted with the end result and found Quba an excellent team to work with.
The build
While the outcome is simple and easy to use, the work behind it required careful handling.
Key elements included:
- Migrating legacy content into a structured, manageable format
- Developing an interactive estates map
- Transforming detailed historical content into a clearer, more accessible format
- Supporting and training a non-technical team throughout
A particular focus was ensuring content could be both well-presented and easy to maintain long-term.
The outcome
“The new website is much clearer, easier to use, and better reflects our organisational values.”
Clearer, more accessible information
Visitors can now find and understand information more easily, with improved navigation and structure.
A stronger, more consistent presence
The website better reflects the Duchy’s role and presents its work in a clear and considered way.
Confidence for internal teams
The CMS has enabled the client-side team to manage and update content more effectively, moving from uncertainty to confidence in day-to-day use.
Positive stakeholder response
Feedback from stakeholders has been consistently positive, with particular emphasis on improved clarity, usability, and overall presentation.
Let’s move you forward
Are your digital experiences holding you back in some way, or do you need to propel the business forward, quickly?
Get in touch
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