War tribute for Fallodon Hall open gardens

A transparent silhouette, part of There But Not There, the 2018 Armistice project for the charity Remembered, will be featured when the gardens at Fallodon Hall, near Alnwick, are opened this weekend.
Silhouette at Fallodon Hall GardensSilhouette at Fallodon Hall Gardens
Silhouette at Fallodon Hall Gardens

In October 2016, 51 transparent seated silhouettes were placed in Penshurst Church, Kent, to first represent the Fallen listed on Penshurst war memorial. The impact these silhouettes had inspired a dynamic new charity called Remembered.

In addition to the seated silhouettes, there are now ‘Tommy’ figures for sale (both life-size and a 10inch perspex reproduction) wearing a WW1 helmet with head bowed. At the moment, there are more than 500 installations of figures across the UK.

Sir Edward Grey opening war memorial in Embleton in 1921Sir Edward Grey opening war memorial in Embleton in 1921
Sir Edward Grey opening war memorial in Embleton in 1921
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And a silhouette seated figure will be on display at the ancestral home of Edward Grey, Foreign Secretary at the outbreak of the First World War, during the weekend for the annual charity open garden weekend at Fallodon.

The gardens at Fallodon will be open for the National Garden Scheme today (Saturday) and tomorrow (Sunday) - they will be raising funds for the Red Cross.

Fallodon is the ancestral home of Edward Grey. He was Foreign Secretary at the outbreak of the First World War and became the longest continuously serving in the post (1905 – 1916).

The night before the war broke out he said: “The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.”

Silhouette at Fallodon Hall GardensSilhouette at Fallodon Hall Gardens
Silhouette at Fallodon Hall Gardens
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He unveiled the local Embleton war memorial in July 1921. His ashes are buried in the woods at Fallodon, marked by an engraved stone.

The estate is now owned by Lucia and Mark Bridgeman. They are the third Bridgeman generation to live at Fallodon Hall, after Sir Edward Grey.

And they are dedicating a transparent seated silhouette to the local Embleton Church in honour of Edward Grey and to the 51 local servicemen listed on the war memorial.

The seated transparent figure, purchased by the Bridgemans, will first be seen seated on Edward Grey’s famous bench by the pond at Fallodon Hall, during the weekend when the usually private gardens are open for charity. It will then be donated to he Church of the Holy Trinity.

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Fallodon has been opening its gardens for the Red Cross for 50 years. The gardens will be open from 2pm to 5pm each day.

Entry is £5 each day, children are free. There is limited wheelchair access, friendly dogs on leads are allowed and there will be teas and a plant sale.

The 2018 Armistice Project is the centenary commemoration for the end of the First World War. While commemorating the fallen, and educating those born nearly 100 years later, it also aims to play a role in healing those damaged, mentally and physically, by war.