New studios and workshops plus two specially commissioned sculptures will be unveiled next month at the spectacular 18th-century Marchmont House in the Borders.
More than £1 million of private money has been invested in the Creative Spaces project which aims to provide high quality, affordable work spaces for artists and craft makers.
A special event marking the launch of the studios and workshops with talks, tours, films and catering by celebrity chef Valentine Warner will take place on 19 September.
Marchmont House has one of the finest collections of UK sculpture and the event will also include the unveiling of two newly commissioned pieces called Sky Boat and Dancing Tree by Charlie Poulsen.
Hugo Burge, Marchmont’s director, said: “Artists and craft makers are facing incredibly tough times at the moment, but we believe it’s essential for our culture, society and economy to support them so they can rebuild and flourish.
“The Creative Spaces launch represents a huge step forward in our aim to make Marchmont a home for artists, makers and creatives of many kinds. By having a new centre where the highest quality arts and craft are created and celebrated we hope to help promote some of the finest talent from across Scotland and the rest of the UK.”
Some Creative Spaces tenants will live as well as work at Marchmont. The first of eight studios (more are planned) is being taken by fresco painter Julia Alexandra Mee, who was previously based in Edinburgh, who will also live in one of the estate cottages.
The studios and workshops have been created by the conversion of a series of 19th-century outbuildings round a courtyard near the house and its spectacular walled garden.
Visitors at the launch will also meet Marchmont’s first artist in residence Valentine Warner (who is also a well-known chef) who will be creating a 3D collage inspired by the estate and the 1750 Grade ‘A’ Palladian mansion, which has one of the finest Georgian and Arts & Crafts interiors in Scotland.
Many will be familiar with Valentine from his books and his TV programmes. He has a deep love of provincial cooking and an attraction of the event is that he will be doing the catering.
Valentine, who is also taking on the role of Marchmont’s gastronomic partner – creating menus and providing catering for future events – said: “The artwork and the cooking will be inspired by the house, the estate and the region. I love creating food that reflects the culinary traditions of an are and what is available in the countryside and the markets, rather than imposing things from the outside. So I’ll probably never serve up a mango at Marchmont.”
Similarly he will spend time exploring the estate and house for objects and features to include in the collage, but already plans to reference the William Morris interior decorations and the owl towers in the grounds.
Located near Greenlaw in the Scottish Borders, Marchmont House is only open to the public for a limited number of days each year, for tours and special events. It was awarded the 2018 Historic Houses/Sotheby’s Award for the recently completed seven-year restoration, which was described by the jury as “stunning”.
The Creative Spaces project is entirely privately funded by Marchmont Farms Limited and has not called on grants from the public sector or charities – which are facing immense demands for their limited resources.
The project’s value has already been demonstrated by the establishing of The Marchmont Workshop, which has saved the great 19th-century tradition of Arts & Crafts rush seated ladder back chairs for a new chapter in the Scottish Borders.
About the launch event
The Creative Spaces previews will take place at 9.30am, 10.45am and 3.30pm to allow for social distancing. Tickets are £7.50 and need to be bought in advance from EventBrite.
The programme features:
- Welcome and tour: Welcome by Hugo Burge, Marchmont Director, followed by guided tours with Hugo Burge, Francis Raemaekers, Wilma Ellis.
- Valentine Warner: Cook of the day, artist in residence and gastronomic partner. Coffee, tea, shortbread + banter.
- Rich & Sam @ The Marchmont Workshop: A new chapter for an historic rush seat chair making tradition.
- Julia Mee @ South Stable Studio: Our artist in residence takes our first studio. Teaser film for her large-scale work The Marchmont Mural Cycle.
- Unveiling of Skyboat and Dancing Trees sculptures by Charlie Poulsen. Launch of The Making of Sky Boat short film.
A special press lunch will include an introduction by Charlie Poulsen and a gastronomic indulgence by Valentine.
– Ends –
Notes for Editors
For media information contact Matthew Shelley at [email protected] or 07786 704299.
Picture by Colin Hattersley.
About Marchmont
- Following the recent completion of award-winning restoration, the goal is now to bring the house alive as a home for makers and creators, celebrating innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship
- Visit www.marchmonthouse.com for more information.
- For information about The Marchmont Workshop see https://themarchmontworkshop.com.
About Hugo Burge
- Director of Marchmont Ventures which is building sustainable creativity in the arts, crafts and purpose driven business.
- Director of Marchmont Farms Ltd., which operates Marchmont Estate, with a focus on restoring Marchmont House and bringing it back to life after a period of institutional usage.
- Former CEO of the Momondo Group which powers pioneering brands that shape and inspire global travel search.
About Valentine Warner
- Valentine Warner is a cook, food writer and broadcaster. Training originally as a painter he went on to become a chef in London’s kitchens before running his own catering company.
- In 2008 and Valentine suddenly found himself on television, where his deep love of cooking, nature and travel has seen him make eight series, in various locations across the world.
- Describing his cooking style as “International Grandmother”, a deep interest in provincial food means he’ll be more likely trying to extract a coveted octopus recipe off a Greek widow, than discussing molecular gastronomy.
- Val is widely recognised for his deep understanding of ingredients, both wild and cultivated and his ability to make something delicious with apparently little and pretty much anywhere.
- Valentine has written four cookery books, three of which he illustrated. His fifth book The Consolation Of Food is a collection of stories scattered with recipes
- He is also the co-founder of Northumberland’s Hepple distillery, the producers of Hepple Gin and other invigorating spirits.
- Working frequently in the Lofoten Islands of artic Norway he is a founder and host of Kitchen On The Edge of the world at Holmen Lofoten.
- He would generally prefer to be found in a field rather than an office and is most likely to be holding a spoon, fishing rod or a mossy stick.
- See https://valentinewarner.com.