Industry News

One of the North East’s leading heritage attractions is promising to light up Christmas with the return of a popular festive light trail, showcasing ambitious new outdoor artworks by regional artists.

Illuminating Ushaw: Land of Enchantment will take visitors on a captivating journey around Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens, a 500-acre country estate, historic house, park and gardens on the outskirts of Durham City.

Its grand Georgian country house, gardens and prestigious St Cuthbert’s Chapel, will all be illuminated and enlivened by festive music, choral song and creative light-art installations on select weekends throughout December.

Lucy Jenkins, director of culture and heritage at Ushaw Historic House, said: “Ushaw is delighted to reveal new artistic commissions and creative partnerships for its third Illuminating Ushaw Christmas light experience.

This year’s theme is Land of Enchantment and we are thrilled to exhibit new works by North East artists celebrating the mystery and beauty of our natural world as well as the magical feelings of joy the festive season brings.”

Among the highlights of Illuminating Ushaw: Land of Enchantment are a mesmerising dome filled with glimmering stars, each individually designed by local school children, a luminous garden of floating flower heads, a vast pulsing network of Mycelium – the elaborate root structures of mushrooms and fungi – and a huge rabbit sculpture crafted from metal and willow; using techniques that date back almost five thousand years.

St Cuthbert's, Ushaw’s most celebrated Gothic chapel, will also be decorated and illuminated from floor to ceiling, for the first time ever, creating a spectacular focal point for the hour-long trail. Choirs and musicians will perform Christmas carols in the iconic chapel at various times throughout the evenings.

Illuminating Ushaw – Artistic Commissions

Catching Stars is a co-created installation by celebrated light artists Mick Stephenson and Stuart Langley recreating the enchanting feeling of gazing at starry night skies.

This dome-shaped artwork is located at the centre of Ushaw’s gardens and will be filled with hundreds of suspended and illuminated stars, all individually designed by children from North East schools. To celebrate sustainability, each star has been cut from birch wood and will be returned to the child who created it at the end of the project.

Mycelium has been created by Stevie Thompson, a former electrician turned fibre-optic light installation artist, from South Shields.  Thompson has created a pulsing animated network of mycelium, the root structures of mushroom and fungi, that will move, twinkle and change colours as if it were alive and communicating with those watching.  Giant mushrooms will stem and grow from the network with illuminated caps of different shapes and styles.

“I launched Custom Fibre Optics in 2019, after many years working as an electrician. Since then, I’ve created ambitious light installations in private residential homes, luxury vehicles and healthcare settings for sensory rooms but this is my first major cultural showing and I’m delighted to be partnering with Ushaw to bring wonder and amazement to North East communities this Christmas,” said Thompson.

Ushaw Rabbit is a large-scale sculpture by husband-and-wife team Ruth and Tim Thompson from Tynedale in Northumberland.

Ruth is a traditional wicker artist, the earliest known form of furniture making, with techniques dating back to Ancient Egypt. Ruth has taken inspiration from Ushaw’s heraldic coat of arms to create a two metre by two metre rabbit in the formal gardens, crafted from metal and willow and illuminated with fibre optics designed by Tim.

Nearby, in Ushaw’s peace garden is Winter in Bloom by Anna Harding and James Shepherd, from Bishop Auckland. Eight giant flower heads will appear illuminated and floating above Ushaw’s expansive gardens, recreating the enchanting colour and joy of warmer months.

Each flower head is one metre in diameter and mounted on a two-metre black post, so that its stem cannot be seen after dark.

Other festive scenes on the light trail include:

• Santa Claus flying his sleigh projected onto Ushaw’s copse of yew trees
• Christmas music playing as visitors move around the one-hour trail route
• Seasonal Selfie Station – opportunity to take selfies with your loved ones with Ushaw’s illuminated Historic House as the backdrop

Illuminating Ushaw: Land of Enchantment is supported by headline sponsor Urban BASE, one of North East England’s leading estate agencies and property managers, and takes place on the following dates.

• Saturday 3^rd & Sunday 4th December
• Saturday 10^th & Sunday 11th December
• Friday 16^th, Saturday 17^th & Sunday 18th December

Jan Dale, director of Urban BASE said: "It’s an absolute privilege for Urban BASE to offer support Illuminating Ushaw: Land of Enchantment and for the North East to once again showcase its talented artists and cultural venues. We can’t wait to see it and share it with our Urban BASE team and clients in Durham too.”

Tickets cost from £10 to £12, booking is essential. Event timings are from 4.30pm to 6.30pm and the trail closes at 8pm.