Vintage event returns to village

In 2014 the award-winning event raised enough money to buy and install public access defibrillators throughout the Coquet Valley through a mixture of an art sale, tea room, vintage market and antiques valuation service.

This time the village is celebrating the return of its newly restored 1866 organ to All Saint’s Church.

The celebratory weekend will begin on Saturday, at 6pm, when the Duchess of Northumberland attends the public opening celebration.

Durham Cathedral organist James Lancelot will play the restored organ, and he will be joined by the Durham Cathedral Choristers.

Drinks and nibbles will follow and anyone is welcome to attend.

On Sunday, at 11am, the celebrations will continue with the return of Rothbury’s Vintage and Crafts Fair.

Vintage Rothbury has taken as its inspiration the lives and times of local folk over the organ’s 150 years.

In addition to market stalls selling vintage items, crafts and artisan foods, there will be a large range of traditional rural skills on display, including dry stone walling, butter making, bee keeping, basket weaving, wool spinning, stick dressing, potting, wheat milling, rag rug making and quilting.

Craftsmen, such as wheelwrights and blacksmiths, will be in attendance, and visitors are invited to listen to the makers’ stories, watch their demonstrations and even have a go at some of these crafts.

All Saints’ Church will be open all day, with tours of the organ and displays of its history and its restoration story available.

The Rev Michael Boag, Rector of Upper Coquetdale, said: “The organ restoration project has been a partnership between the people of Upper Coquetdale, the Heritage Lottery Fund and restorers Goetze and Gynne from Worksop so I am delighted that the celebrations to mark its return to both the village and its former glory are also a partnership of so many organisations.

“Everyone is most welcome to join in what is going to be another wonderful weekend in Rothbury.”

Some of the area’s key museums will also be in Rothbury for the day.

Children can dress up in Victorian costumes, use school books and play with toys from the era courtesy of Alnwick’s Bailiffgate Museum.

Blyth Battery will set up an army encampment and kitchen serving traditional army brew and soup, joined by local collectors’ vintage military vehicles.

And Beamish Museum’s Remaking Beamish project is coming to Northumberland for the first time with a crime story.

There will be family activities, food and drink from 11am to 5pm in the village centre.