JENNIFER
DICKSON LECTURE SERIES 2003:
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The defensive nature of the architecture
of North Yorkshire and Northumberland bears witness to the
border wars between England and Scotland. Perched above the
River Swale, Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire acquired a
contemporary garden by Neil Swanson in 2000. The juxtaposition
of ancient and modern is a characteristic of the northern
renaissance. Within sight of the wind towers of Whitley Bay
is Seaton Delaval Hall, a late masterpiece by Sir John Vanbrugh.
Twice gutted by fire, and left roofless for fifty years, it
was partially restored in 1950 by the Lord Hastings. The 20th
century formal gardens, designed by James Russell, form an
exquisite setting for this grandiose ruin. Cragside House
has a precipitous rock and heather garden overlooking the
Debdon valley. As part of the economic revitalisation of the
north, the young Duchess of Northumberland commissioned Jacques
and Peter Wirtz to create a great cascade and water basin
on the scale of Versailles – the design to be uncompromisingly
modern and using electronic technology. The great water garden
at Alnwick opened to the public in 2002 and symbolizes the
energy of the revitalised north. Finally, the mystical associations
of the tidal flats at Holy Island attract pilgrims following
in the steps of Saint Aidan, who founded Lindisfarne Priory
in 635 AD. |
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