Three huge Northumberland attractions opened in 2023 welcoming almost 200,000 visitors

It has been a bumper year for tourism in Northumberland with three huge attractions opening.

Ad Gefrin, a multi-million pound Anglo-Saxon Museum and distillery; The Tempus, an Alice in Wonderland inspired hotel; and Lilidorei at The Alnwick Garden, complete with the world’s largest play structure; opened in the first half of 2023. All three were listed among TimeOut’s most exciting openings for the year, along with the King Charles England Coastal Path which passes through Northumberland.

Combined, they have brought almost 200,000 tourists through their doors (or in the case of Lilidorei, gates), with each hoping to extend the busy summer high season into the quieter months of the year. Ahead of their first full calendar year, 2024, ChronicleLive caught up with those behind the establishments to see how their opening months had gone.

In Wooler, the Ferguson family have not only overseen the opening of Ad Gefrin, but the launch of three new spirits – a gin, a whisky cream, and a cask edition of its original Tácnbora whisky. Their partnership with the Laing Art Gallery on the Lindisfarne Gospels exhibition also picked up the best arts and business partnership at the Journal Culture Awards on Wednesday December 13.

Eileen Ferguson, co-founder of Ad Gefrin, told ChronicleLive that since opening in March 2023, they have welcomed 35,000 visitors through the doors. As a completely new business, they’ve been learning as they go – with Eileen describing such a large amount of guests in the first nine months as “quite a lot to deal with”.

Co-founders Eileen and Alan Ferguson and son Chris, who is the Director of Visitor Experience

She said: “I think the greatest achievement that we’ve had is transforming what was a derelict haulage yard into a wonderful visitor attraction. It’s turned something ugly into something beautiful and hopefully that something beautiful is a business that’s going to be around for a long time.”

She believes that it has had a positive effect on Wooler in general too. Eileen continued: “It’s been reported that the high street was busier this year even though we were only open for a few months ahead of the busy summer season.

“More people are stopping in Wooler and going to see the high street whereas people used to drive straight through, but we’ve tried really hard to work with the community and we want people to use the local shops and hotels. It’s a solid part of the community and we’re delighted, this is where I’m from, I’m a Wooler person, so it’s particularly thrilling to see the development.”

Making an entrance – the Ad Gefrin atrium

Next to open was Lilidorei on May 25 with hundreds of children present alongside local celebrities and public figures on a brilliantly sunny day. The play park, which is home to the largest structure in the world, is the brainchild of the Duchess of Northumberland and has had a “highly successful year,” according to Alnwick Garden’s head of marketing and communications Ian McAllister.

He told ChronicleLive: “It has been a hugely successful year, achieving a higher footfall than we predicted, particularly during school holidays and weekends. Halloween and Christmas have been highly memorable – for our first year of operation we really were starting from scratch but the entire team have pulled together to make both of these events hugely popular!”

It was announced recently that the Lilidorei brand is set to go global, with the Duchess of Northumberland telling the Mirror earlier this month that she was about to sign with a firm in LA behind the Harry Potter franchise, with the intention of opening other parks under the same name abroad.

Duchess of Northumberland Jane Percy with Secret Keepers at the opening of Lilidorei

However, Lilidorei has not been without its challenges. As an outdoor attraction, it is weather dependent and some days have been a washout.

Ian continued: “We have had a particularly wet season, so the rain has definitely been a challenge but it certainly hasn’t stopped play. We always advise our visitors to dress for the weather, so our visitors have still managed to enjoy all that Lilidorei has to offer despite the weather!”

The third big opening took place in June, on the Charlton Hall Estate near the A1 and Northumberland Coast National Landscape. The Tempus Hotel opened with the intention of offering something different from a cottage stay, a popular way to spend a holiday in the county.

Amelia Thomson, marketing manager at the Doxford Group, which owns The Tempus, told ChronicleLive that the hotel had been received “exceptionally well”, and called the launch event “fantastic”. They also nabbed their pastry chef from The Ritz Hotel in London, Catherine Smith, who has concocted quirky afternoon teas, including a festive iteration.

However, Amelia admits that it hasn’t been easy getting staff to rural Northumberland – despite its undeniable beauty. She continued: “The biggest challenge is very classic of the area and that’s obviously human resources, getting the staff is quite a challenge.

“We’ve risen to the challenge and done alright, but it is a reflection of the industry that there is an obvious shortage.”

The Orangery in the Tempus Hotel

“I think the challenges have been the ones that exist for everyone in the hospitality. The cost of living crisis means not everyone has the disposable income they once did, especially with energy costs.”

Nevertheless, she says that the Tempus has built up a local customer base too, to help them through the winter months. She finished: “It’s been received exceptionally well, our owners are local and it’s a real local success story.

“That’s really helped with the non-tourist customer base that you rely on between October to March. We’ve had a lot of support from the local community, which has been fantastic.”

Ian Thomas, director of visitor economy at the NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said: “It has been great to see blockbuster new attractions like Lilidorei and Ad Gefrin open their doors in Northumberland, and we were delighted to hear that Lilidorei alone has welcomed over 150,000 visitors in its first six months – a huge achievement for a new attraction.

“These developments represent a significant investment into the visitor economy and guest experience in Northumberland and it’s extremely promising to see such confidence, innovation and investment on a grand scale in order to attract a new generation of visitors and returning tourists to the North East’s stunning landscapes and tourist spots. We’re passionate about making the region an unforgettable place to visit and the work done by the teams at Alnwick Garden and Ad Gefrin is a shining example of the impact investing in the visitor economy, tourism and hospitality can have on the wider area.”