A love of Rothbury and Coquetdale

Here are the first quotes that have been left on our posting board:

Carole Wright sent us this photo of the village and Cragside, with the comment "Shame you can't see the rhododendrons from up here"

Probably our favorite so far comes from 4 year old Ozzy wit "I like the toys in Rothbury"  But we've been delighted with the response so here are a few to whet your appetite and maybe inspire you to send us your own.

“I visited the Rothbury Folk Festival in 2009 with family and friends. My daughter sang in the competition. Sat on small benches in the primary school listening to local songs and poems reminded me of my childhood spent at such events in Ireland, and why being part of a place and its culture is so important to us all – Rothbury and Coquetdale have this in spades.”

Tony Gates, Chief Executive, Northumberland National Park Authority

"When I fly over Rothbury in my little hot air balloon, I see a perfect tranquil place and its river nestling among beautifully sculpted hills and a feast of forests."

Jan Frazer

“Coming back from Alnwick as you crest the hill above Cragside and looked down towards Rothbury with Simonside behind  ……  it doesn’t matter who is in the car with me ….. a new visitor or a born in Rothbury resident …. there is always a long sigh of pleasure at the sight! Rothbury people know how lucky we are to live here and never fail to appreciate it.”

Linda Lytollis

“The friendly folk, the beautiful view from my window, the history of the hills, and all the good things that happen here.”

Joyce Taylor

“We're only an hour's drive away, but always feel Rothbury is such a great place to go when you feel like getting away from it all - always a  pleasure to visit, having spent many happy times there as a child with family or school trips, it's now lovely to be the parent taking my family there.  I'd love to think I'll be visiting for years to come, with my family's children - long way off, my youngest only 5!”

Karen Goldfinch

“I stayed in a posh B&B in Rothbury in December, it was brill.”

 Sophie Woolley, playwright and actress.

“When I was 13 I found my first cup and ring marked rock up on Garleigh moor, something which still transfixes me over 30 years on.”

Lorraine Clay

"Rothbury is the closest we get to a shopping centre. Forget a long round trip to Newcastle or the Metro Centre, everything we could possibly want is within walking distance here, from the services of a vet, to everyday groceries, luxury deli items, medicines, shoes, computer advice, charity shop bargains, an amazing array of hardware, outdoor clothing, pretty dresses and underwear, tasty breads, beautiful flowers, a new hairdo, jewellery, a welcome cup of tea, chocolates, newspapers, cards, gifts or paintings. Rothbury has them all, with personal service thrown in as an added bonus. True, it’s sometimes a bind finding somewhere to park, but that just adds a frisson of excitement to the trip! And then of course there is the sheer beauty of the journey from Elsdon to Rothbury. No matter how often we travel the road there is still something fresh to see and be amazed by, no matter what the season. To sum up, we just love and appreciate Rothbury, the heart of the Coquet Valley."

Rita Colby, The Coach House, Tea Room, Elsdon

Reclaiming Our Village

In a small effort to “reclaim our village” and to force myself to look forwards, I’m going to open an exhibition here at Crown Studio Gallery on Saturday 17^th July called “A Celebration of Rothbury”.  It will mostly be a selection of my landscape paintings of the area.

BUT one of the exhibits will be a notice/pin-board, where I will be inviting people to add their own recollections/ observations on the theme of “A Celebration of Rothbury”.  

I invite you to make a contribution to this.  It doesn’t need to be a major literary work; it doesn’t even need to be clever (!), just genuine. It could be a sketch, whatever you would like to express.  The important thing is that it should help us to remember just why we are here. Leave messages here in the comments or send them via email which you will find on our website www.crownstudio.co.uk

I’ve already had a contribution from Sophie Woolley, playwright and actress who played Gabriella in “Cast Offs” on Channel 4.  She writes the simple- but heartfelt message,

““I stayed in a posh B&B in Rothbury in December, it was brill.”

I will keep collecting contributions until September 1^st, by which time I will have decided on how to use these messages in an art work. 

Lynda Taylor, Crown Studio Gallery, Bridge Street, Rothbury