The Sill

Once Brewed

‘The Sill’ – A Centre for Wild Landscapes at Once Brewed?

A working group is presently exploring ways to add a new and exciting dimension to the experience of the thousands of visitors to Hadrian’s Wall World Heritage Site, and we would like to get your thoughts and comments on our ideas so far.

One proposal that seems to have support is to develop the National Park’s flagship visitor centre at Once Brewed (a busy central location) into a place where visitors can experience the importance of geology and geography to this area’s history, culture and community. Not only to look at the past, but to appreciate the importance of our countryside for the future of food production, climate change and heritage.

The name for the new centre: The Sill, refers to the great wave of volcanic rock called the Whin Sill which underlies a vast swathe of Northumberland and is the foundation beneath many of this county’s finest landscapes and historical sites.

Alongside vibrant science and learning, the aim would be to showcase local food, local products and local experiences arising from the rich natural and cultural heritage of Northumberland.

Once Brewed is already an award-winning visitor centre, but the group feels that it could also be used to support sustainable rural development - acting as a hub where local communities can show visitors what they find so special about the place, and doing more to support local farmers and businesses in caring for the environment. Essentially ‘The Sill’ should be a benefit for local people as well as an exciting destination, encouraging visitors to stay longer and hopefully return to explore this fantastic landscape.

The overall aims of ‘The Sill’ are to:

1. Welcome and inspire: to be a venue where everyone, in particular young people, can be inspired and informed of opportunities to access and enjoy the wild landscapes of the region, resulting in more and more diverse visitors to the countryside.
2. Provide a venue for lifelong, enhanced learning: where people can find out more about the natural and cultural heritage, acquire new skills related to conservation and sustainable development, which will result in more engaged audiences with skills to support and contribute to the conservation and sustainable development of our natural and cultural heritage.
3. Provide a showcase celebrating local enterprise: a place where local businesses can demonstrate their products and offer their services and share the source of their inspiration i.e. the special qualities of the protected landscapes, resulting in greater awareness of and support for local enterprise that will increase income into the local economy.
4. Be an exemplar of sustainable development: the centre in terms of its design and construction – becomes a new vernacular in a deep rural context that will be the physical representation of the centre’s aspirations
5. To shape future landscapes: by providing a focal point where the Authority, land managers, researchers and the visiting public can together explore the possibilities and support for possible options for future ecosystem services and land uses in our wild landscapes

Why?

Several factors combine to suggest that this project is an idea ‘whose time has come’:

• The North East countryside is recognised as a major draw to visitors outside the region as well as those who reside within it. Evidence from visitor surveys suggests that the lasting impression people keep with them from a visit to Hadrian’s Wall is of its spectacular landscape setting, with views deep into Northumberland National Park to the north and across to the North Pennines AONB, to the south;
• Through the development of the Northumberland National Park Local Development Framework, there has been growing support for the Authority to embrace and promote sustainable development principles for the design and procurement of new buildings within the National Park. This provides an opportunity for the National Park Authority to explore how an exemplar development of this nature can demonstrate, with evidence the efficacy of vernacular, low carbon building technologies;
• There is a growing number of people taking up opportunities for life enhancing learning, be it apprenticeships to enable a new career in dry stone walling, developing an interest in felt making, or GCSE coursework examining sustainable development
• National Park Authorities are seen by Government as an effective delivery tool to address major issues such as health, climate change, energy security, citizenship, food, biodiversity. There is an opportunity with the Sill to embody and celebrate the Authority’s role delivering an integrated solution to these issues;
• Most of our visitors to the National Park visit the Hadrian’s Wall corridor. The popularity of this location allows us to intercept more visitors and communicate efficiently & effectively, inspiring their interest in locally distinctive products, evolving the ways in which they experience the countryside, and improving the facilities available, whilst maintaining the gold standard service of the best TIC in the country!

There are many good reasons to go ahead, but there are also concerns that have been expressed and these include:

• Is it worth the cost?
• What would be the impact on the environment?
• Would a new attraction take visitors away from the existing ones?
• Would visitors keep returning to The Sill or just visit once?
• How can a visitor centre really make that much difference?
• Are we trying to make one centre do too many things?

What’s your view? Would you support new investment in a visitor and community-based centre on Hadrian’s Wall or not? We’d like to hear from you. You can contact us for more information or to give us your views by phoning or writing to:

Duncan Wise (Project Manager) on 01434611521 or duncan.wise@nnpa.org.uk

or

Yvonne Conchie (Project Officer) on 01434 611518 or yvonne.conchie@nnpa.org.uk.

The Sill Project Working Group
Northumberland National Park Authority
Eastburn, South Park
Hexham
Northumberland
NE46 1BS

Planned Timescale

Until the end of September 2008 ‘the Sill’ team is delivering a ‘project planning’ phase, supported with a grant from the Heritage Lottery Funded. This will produce plans for a business operation model, audience development, and training and enterprise activity, alongside an outline design brief for the Once Brewed site to inform and stimulate options with planning advisers, architects and project developers.

Following on from this a ‘development phase’ is envisaged lasting approximately 12 months, where the plans would be implemented and concepts tested for their viability in economic and market terms to ensure that any future investment would have the best chance of success.