“Art at The Hall” – Blanchland is located on the border of Northumberland and County Durham and is a beautiful rural village with a fabulous history, wonderful walks, chocolate box cottages and also a reputation for carefully curated artisan markets. Carolyn and David Asquith moved to the village in 2017 and have established themselves as jewellers and artisan market organisers, and are very involved in community life. Their jewellery is stocked in the local landmark hotel and pub, The Lord Crewe Arms and in the gift shop, the Jaspah Crewe. They specialise in handmade copper, brass, enamel and mixed metal jewellery for men and women, and they create affordable, eclectic pieces which are designed to last.
After organising and running very successful artisan markets in the village since 2022, they decided in 2025 to add to their event portfolio and “Art at the Hall” was conceived.. The dream was realised in 2026, with the inaugural event opening with a successful preview evening on 27th March.
Art at The Hall was a two-week selling event, allowing artists to share their work in a gallery-style setting, giving visitors the opportunity to enjoy the work, browse at their leisure and make considered decisions in an unhurried and relaxed environment. The event was carefully curated, and artists were selected from across the North East to showcase their work at “Art at The Hall”.
They brought with them a fabulous dynamic, with a diverse and wide range of media and genres. The exhibition included both emerging and professional artists, who took turns to man the sales till and to demonstrate their skills, talk to visitors and share their processes and techniques. The showcase included photography, wildlife, abstract and impressionist art, graphics, illustration, textiles, sculpture, ceramics and even a hint of cubism. With hundreds of original artworks adorning the walls and a fabulous selection of prints and cards, visitors were greeted with a stunning selection of work to peruse at their leisure.
The exhibition was open for 16 days (until 12th April), with over 1100 people through the door and fantastic sales. Art at The Hall proved to be a great success, and Carolyn and David intend to build on this year’s achievement. They are already looking forward to curating next year’s “Art at The Hall” at Easter 2027. In the meantime they will be busy working on the upcoming Blanchland Artisan Markets, which start on 25th May, followed by the summer event on 2nd August and the Christmas Artisan Markets on 21st and 22nd November. They hope to see you there.
Friends of the Hatton 