Kathryn Tickell - Pied Piper

Date: 2003-09-27, Publication: The Journal

Northumbrian pipes virtuoso Kathryn Tickell provided the musical inspiration yesterday for the latest stage of work to redevelop a historic woodland mansion in Northumberland.

The internationally- renowned musician helped re-create a fairytale to launch the next phase of building work at 195-year-old Hartford Hall near Bedlington.

Kathryn became the Pied Piper of Hamlyn for the day to lead a group of children through the woods at Hartford Hall whose buildings and grounds are being developed as a luxury estate of 70 houses and apartments.

She played a new tune - Ha'penny Fields - which she has composed to mark the second phase of the project.

This involves building 24 new homes in the hall's wooded grounds.

Kathryn, whose family roots are in the Upper Tyne area of Northumberland, was accompanied on her musical journey through the woods by young pupils from Mowden Hall School in Stocksfield playing a range of instruments including cymbals, drums and triangles.

Hartford Hall, a former Georgian coal owner's mansion and miners' rehabilitation centre, have been converted into a variety of properties to prevent it from falling into ruin.

The hall and outbuildings have been converted into 46 houses and apartments and yesterday marked the start of work on building 24 more properties in the grounds. Ho Sanderson, director of development at Hartford Hall Estate, decided to call the second phase Ha'penny Fields after the Ha'penny Woods which surround the hall.

A spokeswoman for Hartford Hall Estate said: "Ha'penny Fields sounds very folky and traditional so Mr Sanderson decided to ask Kathryn to write a tune commemorating the start of work and to come along and play it today."

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