Raby Castle is in bloom with new floral installation

A major lifestyle destination in the North of England is launching a new floral installation known as Castle in Bloom.

Launching on Saturday 2^nd May for the Bank Holiday weekend and running until the end of August, the installation will see several areas of County Durham’s Raby Castle transform with breathtaking floral arrangements inspired by nature, including contemporary designs by renowned florist Anna Potter from Swallows and Damsons in some of the castle’s most grand rooms.

The Entrance Hall, known for its grandeur, will feature an incredible suspended orb consisting of dried deschampsia grasses, which have been cut from Raby’s own Walled Gardens. Starting at floor level, roots and mosses will spill out onto the ground, and wild wispy grasses wind up the stairs.

On the floor above is the Baron’s Hall, which will house a giant suspended sun portal against the backdrop of the three grand windows. Approximately five-feet in diameter, the portal will feature thousands of strings of dried flowers that swirl around the centre point, decreasing in density as they expand away from its centre.

Anna Potter, founder of Swallows and Damsons said: “The Baron’s Hall is located directly above the castle’s Entrance Hall, so our installation has been meticulously designed to mirror the contrast between dark and light, with the orb representing the moon and the portal signifying the sun.

“Our creation downstairs features mosses, grasses and vines with an overall darker and more earthy experience focusing on texture to create a mystical and quietly beautiful scene, yet upstairs will feel more ethereal featuring colour and floral elements.”

Throughout the Baron’s Hall, there will also be mounds of multi-coloured dried flowers at differing heights, where transparent threads of dried flowers will appear to be evaporating upwards towards the vast ceiling space.

Anna added: “The sun portal will create the impression of a bright, swirling vortex of flowers, emanating colour and movement and the organic mounds of flowers will create an impactful and otherworldly scene, playing with scale and proportion.

“The Castle in Bloom installation takes an outdoor landscape and reinvents it inside. By isolating it in such a grand building like Raby Castle, the display will shine a light on the beauty of nature – it will allow visitors to enjoy the unexpected and find a new level of inspiration, creating a sense of connection and awe for the natural world.”

To complement Swallows and Damsons’ installation, further rooms will be transformed by Yorkshire based florists Opulence and the Beetle, whose exuberant and colourful creations will take inspiration from the Old Masters paintings displayed in the castle and the exquisite floral prints discovered in a 1730s book in the historic library entitled ‘The Flower Garden Display’d’.

Julie Biddlecombe-Brown, curator at Raby Castle said: “The castle is no stranger to floral spectaculars as photographs dating from the 1890s in the archives show its magnificent rooms packed full of abundant displays – one of which will be fully recreated in the ground floor library.”

Raby’s gardening team will also be adding floral creations throughout further rooms including the medieval kitchen.

Becky Crowley, assistant head gardener at Raby Castle, Park and Gardens said: “It’s been wonderful collaborating with Anna and providing cuttings from our Walled Gardens for her installation. Our visitors can already connect with nature in our beautiful Walled Gardens, Deer Park and landscaped grounds but to bring the outdoors into the castle and its impressive rooms is going to be an amazing concept for our visitors to experience.”

The wider experience at Raby, including its café and destination retail store, will also celebrate this floral theme alongside an exhibition celebrating Raby’s historic passion for plants. The exhibition will feature important individuals such as the celebrated 18^th century botanist Lady Anne Monson who grew up at Raby when the walled garden was being developed and the myriad of head gardeners who have innovated and developed the award-winning garden throughout history.

Entry to Castle in Bloom is included in all Castle, Park and Gardens tickets which are £23 for adults, £12 for children (ages 4-15 years) and £66 for a family ticket (two adults and two children). Raby’s family explorer ticket, which provides access to everything at the lifestyle destination, will also include entry to Castle in Bloom and is £60 for two adults and two children when booked online in advance.

For further information and to book tickets, visit: www.raby.co.uk/events/raby-castle-in-bloom/