Picture shows from l to r: Will Pattison (18, Ponteland High School), Denis Hackett (17, St Leonard’s Catholic School, Durham), Beth Dutson (17, Queen Elisabeth Grammar School, Penrith), James Ophelia (17, Churchill Community College, Wallsend), and Brodie Scott (17, St Cuthbert’s High School, Newcastle)
A unique workshop that offered aspiring architects the chance to ‘test’ their future career proved so popular that double the number of expected applicants applied.
The Testing Ground workshop, set in the inspirational environment of Kielder Water & Forest Park and aimed at students from Years 12 and 13 who are considering studying architecture, hoped to attract 18 pupils yet over double that amount applied.
The enthusiasm for the subject has led to organiser, the award-winning Kielder Art & Architecture programme, already planning to run another course in summer 2013. Read the rest of this entry »
Halifax Bomber – RAF
The sacrifice of some of those who gave their lives in the Second World War was remembered today with a restored memorial cross in Kielder Water & Forest Park, Northumberland.
On 15 October 1944 a Halifax bomber (DK116) on a night-time exercise flight from its base in Lincolnshire developed a fire in one of its four engines at 22,000 feet. In a desperate attempt to extinguish the flames the pilot put the aircraft into a steep dive after ordering his crew to bail out. Three of them parachuted to safety, but four remained on board with the pilot to try and release the rear gunner from his turret. All these brave men perished. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: history, kielder water, world war 2, WWII
Star pictures by Dave Thompson, amateur astronomer from Medomsley, County Durham, taken at the Kielder Forest Star Camp.
Moves to gain Dark Sky status for up 400 square miles of Northumberland are gathering pace as stargazers reveal the stunning beauty of the region’s starry skies.
An audit of external lighting is underway in Kielder Water & Forest Park and parts of Northumberland National Park and residents in selected areas have been sent letters to explain the process and ask for their co-operation. The exercise is a key step in an application process which will eventually be adjudicated by the Tucson-based International Dark Skies Association. The aim is to demonstrate a commitment to tackling wasteful light pollution and helping us maintain the rural character of the area.
If successful, Kielder Water & Forest Park would become England’s only Dark Sky Park and the National Park would assume the mantle of Europe’s biggest Dark Sky Reserve. The ambitious project is a joint bid by the Kielder Water & Forest Park Development Trust, Northumberland National Park and Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: kielder observatory, kielder water
Scan of 55/02 – named after the longitude and latitude of its location
For the first time ever, architecture secrets will be revealed in a unique learning opportunity in the most inspiring of surroundings.
Kielder Water & Forest Park has become the largest open air art and architecture gallery in the country and the award winning Kielder Art & Architecture programme will now play host to a special workshop, called ‘Capture’ thanks to a partnership with the world-renowned Bartlett School of Architecture (University College London).
Peter Sharpe, the programme’s art and architecture curator, said: “This is a first for Kielder Water & Forest Park and it’s a chance for anyone aged 17 and over who is interested in the subject to learn from experimental architects in the most spectacular setting.
“Perhaps you have a fascination for architecture and would like to know more or you’re already working in the field and would like inspiration, fresh direction or a chance to work with experts. It’s a unique opportunity to learn from experimental architects, ScanLAB, in the destination that houses the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architecture) award-winning projects such as Kielder Belvedere, 55/02, and Kielder Observatory.” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: kielder art, open air architecture
Photo of an 18th century-style boy (Sam Schoales, Ovingham) watching over the pigs and piglets at the traditional Northumbrian farmstead of CherryburnThis week is the last chance to visit Cherryburn, Thomas Bewick’s birthplace cottage, gardens, farmstead and farm animals near Prudhoe, before they are ‘put to bed’ for winter.
To mark the occasion, this Saturday and Sunday (3 and 4 November) visitors will have the chance to see behind the scenes as the National Trust conservation team begin checking and cleaning Cherryburn’s precious Bewick collection before wrapping it up for protection during the coldest months of the year. There will be a rare opportunity to view 18th century prints, woodblocks and books up close, as well as chatting to experts about how .
It is also the last chance for families to meet Cherryburn’s farm animals before they take up their winter quarters on a farm near High Spen. This autumn, the resident ex-battery hens which peck visitors’ toes in the farmyard, have been joined by alpacas, a black pig and her piglets, cow and her calf, a Shetland pony and Paddy, the donkey. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: animals, cherryburn, thomas bewick
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