Tweedmouth sculptor, Mandy Bryson, has created a fantastical trail for Bamburgh Castle.
Tails & Tales brings well-known sayings to life through a series of whimsical characters. From ‘early birds’ to ‘slow-and-steady snails’, each sculpture represents a familiar phrase encouraging visitors to guess the saying behind each design.
Mandy dreamt up and designed the whole trail herself.
‘I approached Bamburgh Castle owners, Claire and Francis Watson-Armstrong, with my Menagerie of Idioms idea,’ explains Mandy to The Bridge. She presented several of her sculptures to the owners to demonstrate the concept. ‘I was thrilled that they shared my vision and gave me the go-ahead to create an indoor sculpture trail.
‘I had one year to create the rest of the pieces. There are twenty-one animals in total. I have worked on this every single day for the last eleven months.’
Inspired by Bamburgh Castle’s long association with curiosity, invention and the natural world, Tails & Tales draws on the legacy of William George Armstrong, later Lord Armstrong, the Victorian innovator who bought Bamburgh Castle in 1894.
A lover of animals and nature, Armstrong’s fascination with the natural world went on to shape his life and work.
Francis Watson-Armstrong, owner of Bamburgh Castle, said: ‘Bamburgh Castle has always been a place full of stories and surprises. It’s the perfect setting for Tails & Tales, which celebrates our affection for animals, imagination and storytelling.
‘Mandy’s cast of wonderfully quirky creatures is extraordinary. I’m sure they’ll bring a smile to people’s faces and, like us, visitors will have fun guessing the sayings behind the characters.’
Mandy has previously made sculptures on commission for Christmas indoor trails at places like Blenheim Palace, Castle Howard and Bamburgh Castle for the last few years.
‘At quieter times of year I would work on my own pieces which were inspired by my love of animals. Before too long I was starting to build quite a menagerie,’ Mandy explains.
‘I was also playing with the idea of using idioms. I love the descriptive, playful use of language, it conjures up scenes in my head which bring a fun, storytelling element. The options are endless but I have chosen some of my favourites which have been made for Bamburgh Castle.’
As well as the whimsical sculptures, Mandy helped devise a game for visitors to enjoy during the trail.
Illustrator Trina Dalziel, also from Northumberland, has drawn each character to create a Guess the Phrase trail as visitors walk the route. An answer board at the end reveals all.
‘I have been like a dog with a bone [!] and lived and breathed all things ’Menagerie’. My husband played a huge part in creating the show, building a puppet theatre, plinths, a carousel and along with my son Harvey they engineered the internal structure or armature of the animals themselves.
‘I hope people of all ages will enjoy the sculpture trail. It is light-hearted with many fun details. Scratch the surface a little and there are some slightly deeper messages but overall it has been produced to bring a little bit of escapism to everyday life.’
Mandy is back in the studio now, actually a garden shed which measures just 6 x 8 ft.
‘I make the larger pieces under a gazebo,’ says Mandy. ‘I still have so many ideas of creatures I would like to make; a wolf in sheep clothing, swan song, grinning like a cheshire cat, etc.
‘When the trail finishes at the end of October I hope to take it to another historic property somewhere in the UK and perhaps one day find a permanent home for my Menagerie of Idioms.’
Tails & Tales runs until 1 November. 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Entry is included with general castle admission.
More details at: bamburghcastle.com/events/