The North East's commitment to heritage restoration was on show on Wednesday for a royal visit to Raby Castle.
The 700-year-old castle, at Staindrop, hosted the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The Duke is patron of national cultural heritage charity the Cultura Trust, which is leading a partnership to transform and secure the future of the castle, with plans to provide a new visitor destination and learning resource in Barnard Castle Market Place.
Raby Estates previously acquired a property in the town, which formerly housed a NatWest bank branch. It is undergoing repairs, and the estate believes the building offers a great opportunity to link the Market Place to the wider castle precinct.
Welcomed by Graham Bell, Cultura Trust’s director, and Raby Estates’ custodians, Lord and Lady Barnard, at Raby Castle, the Duke and Duchess began their visit with a presentation from a team of Croatian stonemasons on a working visit to the UK organised by Cultura Trust.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester visited Raby Castle's RIsing project on Wednesday
A focus of the wider project is to ensure young people can learn the skills they need to succeed in a career in restoration and conservation.
“This visit was a unique opportunity to introduce them to the trust’s partners, locally and internationally”, said Mr Bell. “The Duke of Gloucester trained as an architect, so the visit focused on the value and ‘international language’ of traditional skills held in common by Cultura, Raby Estates, and trainers and students from the Stonemasonry School of Croatia.”
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The visit also included a presentation from Historic England and members of English Heritage’s conservation team, showcasing new 3D resources being used for conservation and tour interpretation of the castle, as well as a look around Raby’s landmark development The Rising, currently under construction in the grounds.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester visited Raby Castle's RIsing project on Wednesday
The ambitious renovation and restoration scheme will provide hospitality, event and retail space outside the castle walls. The tour of the 24-acre development culminated in a walk around the recently completed eastern section of the historic walled garden, crafted by Lady Barnard and world-renowned landscape designer Luciano Giubbilei.
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Work in the garden has included extensive planting, the introduction of topiary and the creation of a tiered grass amphitheatre.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester visited Raby Castle's RIsing project on Wednesday
Lord Barnard said of the visit: “As we move into the second year of The Rising development, we are proud to showcase Raby’s investment in heritage crafts and skills training to the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The Rising is a highly ambitious project, establishing a new tourism destination in the north of England, embracing and celebrating the restoration and conservation of our historical buildings.
“As part of our investment in the community, we are committed to providing continued training to revive past heritage crafts used in sustainable restoration, upholding the past, whilst embracing the best aspects of the present and future.”
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