STARLIGHT CASTLE
2002 summer
4ft by 4ft
(Marble dust, pigment, gold leaf, ground glass and found material from Seaton Sluice valley.)
Hidden amongst the treetops within the peaceful valley of Seaton Sluice, Blyth, Northumberland, are the ruins of ‘Starlight Castle’, which was built as a wager by Sir Francis Delaval in 1750.
The wager, that he could not build a home for his lady friend in a day.
The name ‘Starlight Castle’ came from local legend, which states that the build was started when the stars came out and completed by daylight. Though now just a ruin the castle still has that air of mystery, which makes you want to investigate. Onlookers can see it pictured in-between the valley sides on top of an embankment looking across to the former sluice. Though from its vantage point looking down the valley you can still see the old sea trout traps that shoot across the valley floor. These were constructed long after the valley had been brickworks in 1766 and a brewery in 1768, eventually ending its industrial life as a shipyard. Such a rich history for such a small place.
