New art installations at Warkworth Castle to help tell the story of the people who lived there in the early 15th century

The English Heritage commissioned contemporary art installations will form part of a series of interactive trails that reveal the lives of people who lived in or near the castle in the early 15th century.

They will symbolise five people who “really made this place tick” and will be accompanied by new information boards about them after extensive research was carried out by historians.

A revised and updated audio-guide, new seating and new education resources for schools have also been added at the site.

Warkworth Castle was once the home of the Percy family, the powerful Earls of Northumberland. Now a ruin, it was once the most impressive example of a fortified residence in Britain.

Joe Savage, senior interpretation manager at English Heritage, said: “We love this castle and know that visitors do too, so we have put all our energy into creating something playful, yet beautiful – installations which absolutely speak to the fabric of the castle and its history.

“While Warkworth Castle was home to some larger-than-life characters, such as Shakespeare’s famous Harry Hotspur, it has been tremendous fun finding evidence of the lesser known people who also lived here – the ones that really made this place tick.”

The people who have been put in the spotlight are John del Warderobe (long-serving servant of the rulers of Warkworth), Eleanor Neville (Countess of Northumberland), Atholl (a teenaged nephew of Harry Hotspur), Widow Nawton (a resourceful and tough former widow of a local bailiff) and William Stowe (a loyal Percy retainer).

The new sculptures have been created using some of the most cutting-edge technology available today, including 3D modelling, 3D printing and computer-aided machining.

However, the artists – Studio Wignall and Moore – also insisted that each sculpting process needed to be recognisable to the castle’s original medieval craftspeople, should they somehow travel forward in time. Therefore, cast iron has been poured into 3D printed sand-moulds and artisans have added finishing touches to an incredibly intricate stone carving of the castle with a simple chisel and mallet. Other sculptures are cast in beautifully patinated bronze.