Gallery
Enchanted Parks
Originally developed in 2007 as part of the culture10 under the direction of Stella Hall, Enchanted Parks is now in its 5th year and continues to go from strength-to-strength. Enchanted Parks is created by NewcastleGateshead Initiative and funded by Gateshead Council and Northern Rock Foundation and produced by Magnetic Events.
2007 – Illuminating dreams
Saltwell Park was chosen as the location for Enchanted Parks, taking advantage of the ‘fairytale’ style architecture of Saltwell Towers, the never-ending vistas, series of Garden Rooms and picturesque Dene.
Saltwell Park has a resident keeper and is locked at dusk when nature takes over again and the sleeping park begins to dream…
2008 – Celebrating winter time
In 2008 Saltwell Parks was transformed into a magical setting of after-dark fairytales. The Ice Queen’s melting heart filled the Dene, the bandstand transformed into an ice house and hiding in the park was Little Red Riding Hood. Visitors were invited to express their hopes and dreams by writing down their wishes and hanging them on Yoko Ono’s Wish Trees for Gateshead. After the event all of the wishes were gathered and sent to the Imagine Peace Tower in Videy Island off the coast of Reykjavik in Iceland to join other wishes from hundreds of thousands of people from around the world.
2009 – The Twelve Days of Christmas
The popular Christmas Carol was the inspiration for Enchanted Parks in 2009. Artists were invited to connect Gateshead Christmas traditions with the lyrics of the song. Work by students from Northumbria, Newcastle and Sunderland University were commissioned for the first time, giving them the invaluable opportunity to work alongside experienced artists, producers and technical crew.
2010 – A Gateshead Winter Tale
In 2010 Saltwell Park was transformed into a storybook of winter surprise and enchantment. Winter with its long, dark cosy nights, visiting friends and family, Christmas and new beginnings, is a season made for stories and for remembering. Visitors to Enchanted Parks could explore stories in all their guises from the tall tales told by friends, memories shared with family and those traditional childhood fairytales.
