The Story of Emily

Name

The Story of Emily

Legal name

Emily Museum (UK) Limited

Website

https://thestoryofemily.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Tourism and Cultural Attractions

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120), Museums (712110), Historical Sites (71212)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Cultural Immersion & Heritage Experiences (Local Hosts, Traditions) (THAJALAJ)

Keywords

• Heritage tourism
• Historical museum
• Immersive experiences
• Cultural attractions
• Victorian heritage

Headquarters

HQ city

St Ive, Liskeard

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Day Pass and Annual Pass Sales: Visitors purchase day passes or annual passes for entry to The Story of Emily attractions (The Rectory and The War Rooms). Day passes provide single entry valid for a whole day; annual passes are valid for one year from purchase date.
2. Restaurant Sales: On-site restaurant serving South African heritage recipes with fresh Cornish ingredients. The restaurant is accessible to both ticketed visitors and Day/Annual Pass Holders (who can bring up to four guests without admission fees).
3. Gift Cards/Vouchers: Gift cards are available for purchase via MyLightspeed app. Gift vouchers are redeemed by contacting the team directly via email.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Story of Emily is a heritage visitor attraction in St Ive, Cornwall, centred on the life and legacy of Emily Hobhouse. It offers three core experiences: The Rectory (an immersive Victorian-era home set in 1875), The War Rooms (an immersive museum with VR headsets depicting the Anglo-Boer War), and an on-site Restaurant serving South African heritage cuisine with Cornish ingredients. Visitors access the attraction through tiered ticketing including Day Passes, Annual Passes, and free Neighbour Passes for local residents.

Product overview

The Story of Emily is a historical visitor attraction centred on Emily Hobhouse (1860–1926), a Cornish humanitarian and pacifist who exposed conditions in British concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War. The attraction comprises three core offerings: The Rectory (an immersive Victorian-era experience set in 1875, exploring Hobhouse's childhood home with period detail and dress-up), The War Rooms (an immersive museum with VR headsets, film, installations, and artefacts depicting the Anglo-Boer War), and The Restaurant (serving South African heritage dishes with Cornish ingredients). Ticketing includes Day Passes (£27 adults, £5 children), Annual Passes (£37), and free Neighbour Passes for local residents. Gift cards and a blog (Stories of Emily) support the visitor ecosystem. The site is connected to a network of Sister Estates including Babylonstoren and The Newt in Somerset.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Rectory An immersive Victorian-era historical experience set in 1875, housed in a Grade II listed building that was Emily Hobhouse's childhood home. Visitors explore period-accurate rooms including the drawing room, school room, dining room, study, main bedroom, and a photography studio with period costumes for dress-up. Targeted at families, history enthusiasts, and tourists interested in 19th-century Victorian life.
• The War Rooms An immersive museum experience featuring installations, animations, film, 360-degree virtual reality (VR) using high-tech headsets, historical pictures, and original artefacts depicting the Anglo-Boer War, the scorched earth policy, concentration camps, and Emily Hobhouse's humanitarian work. Designed for heritage tourists, educational groups, and visitors interested in South African and British colonial history.
• The Restaurant An on-site restaurant serving traditional South African heritage recipes from the late 19th century prepared with fresh Cornish ingredients. Menu items include boerewors, oxtail and samp, slap pap, tamatiebredie, and homemade ginger beer, with a view of the Kitchen Garden. Accessible to both ticketed visitors and walk-in diners, with Annual Pass holders able to bring up to four guests without an admission fee.
• Gift Card Gift cards for The Story of Emily, redeemable by contacting the team directly via email to arrange bookings at the attraction. Purchasable via the MyLightspeed mobile app.

Quantifiable outcome

• VR film was a finalist in the 8th International AIXR XR Awards in Immersive Storytelling

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Newt in SomersetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister estate relationship as part of the Sister Estates network. Members of The Newt in Somerset receive free entry to The Story of Emily. Both estates share philosophy of celebrating natural beauty, farm-to-table living, and immersive guest experiences.
• BabylonstorencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister estate in South Africa and member programme partner. Members of Babylonstoren receive free entry to The Story of Emily. Babylonstoren produces Babel wine served in the restaurant. Both estates share philosophy of celebrating natural beauty, farm-to-table living, and immersive guest experiences.
• VignamaggiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister estate in Italy, part of the Sister Estates network grounded in sense of place and history, sharing philosophy of celebrating natural beauty, farm-to-table living, and immersive guest experiences.
• Over-Amstel BoerderijminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister estate in Netherlands near Amsterdam, built in 1894 and restored recently, focusing on tradition, quality and polder life. Part of the Sister Estates network.
• BLOU (Keurboomstrand)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister estate in South Africa - eight self-catering cottages at Keurboomstrand. Only accepts guests who have already stayed at either Babylonstoren or The Newt in Somerset, linking the Sister Estates booking network.
• Candide LimitedcoreTechnology or IntegrationWebsite hosting and administration provider for The Story of Emily's website (thestoryofemily.com).
• SevenRoomscoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party service provider used to manage customer interactions, reservations, and bookings.
• MailChimpcoreTechnology or IntegrationEmail marketing platform used to manage email communications with customers and visitors.
• Google AnalyticscoreTechnology or IntegrationWeb analytics provider helping The Story of Emily understand how visitors use the website. Data is aggregated and analyzed on a statistical basis.
• Google AdWordscoreTechnology or IntegrationWeb analytics and search engine advertising campaign management service used to analyze and drive visitor traffic to the website.
• HubSpotcoreTechnology or IntegrationMarketing consent and email communications management platform for The Story of Emily's marketing automation.
• Public Agency (Netherlands)coreTechnology or IntegrationVR production company from the Netherlands that filmed the 360-degree virtual reality experience in the War Rooms. Joost Meijer and team were responsible for the immersive filming.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Babylonstoren: South African sister estate and farm-to-table heritage destination with gardens, hotel, and wine estate. Operates the same Sister Estates philosophy and provides reciprocal member access, making it directly comparable on business model and visitor profile.
• Beamish Museum: Open-air living museum in County Durham offering immersive, multi-period historical experiences with costumed interpreters. Comparable as a heritage attraction using immersive storytelling techniques to draw visitors for multi-hour visits.
• Vignamaggio: Italian sister estate (Tuscany) operating as a heritage wine estate with agritourism, gardens, and immersive experiences. Sister Estates network member with shared philosophy of place-based heritage tourism.
• The Newt in Somerset: Sister estate within the same network, operating a heritage property in Somerset with gardens, farm-to-table dining, and immersive guest experiences. Directly comparable heritage tourism model with shared membership reciprocity, making it the most relevant peer.

Broad incumbents

• Blenheim Palace: UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the UK's largest heritage visitor attractions, combining historic house tours, exhibitions, and extensive gardens. Comparable as a heritage house visitor experience with immersive elements, though at substantially larger scale and broader narrative.
• Hever Castle & Gardens: Historic heritage property in Kent with castle, gardens, and seasonal events. Comparable as a UK heritage visitor attraction combining historic building tours with gardens and ancillary F&B, though it operates at much larger scale.
• The National Trust: UK's largest heritage conservation charity operating hundreds of historic houses, gardens, and landscapes. Comparable as the dominant incumbent in UK heritage visitor experiences, against which The Story of Emily competes for the same discretionary visitor spend.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/story-of-emily

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Story of Emily