Work starts on ‘world’s biggest play structure’ at Garden
THE first house in a ‘one of a kind magical village’ has been installed at the Alnwick Garden.
Due to be completed in early 2023, Lilidorei will be the ‘world’s biggest play structure’ when it opens next spring, with the aim of creating 50 new jobs at the garden and hundreds more in the wider economy.
It is hoped that the attraction will be the ultimate escape from 21st century life, getting children away from the screens of smartphones or iPads.
Themed around a magical village of elves, dwarves and goblins, it aims to attract 280,000 visitors to Northumberland.
As part of the Alnwick Garden charity, Lilidorei will offer ‘Free Fridays’ during term time, allowing primary schoolchildren in the county and its surroundings areas to visit the attraction for free.
Part of the plans is to create a festive feel to the village in winter with Christmas trees lit up on top of each wooden house, with the village being set in a forest clearing.
At the time of writing, only the first house has b e e n installed on the site, but by next year there is expected to be a huge play area around the centrepiece of the magical village, the Elfic Play Structure. Lilidorei is the brainchild of the Duchess of Northumberland, Jane Percy, who first floated plans for the play structure in 2017.
The Duchess said: “Lilidorei has lived in my imagination for the past 12 years and I am delighted to bring my creative vision to life.
“The saddest thing is when scientists disprove theories, and we are told that the Loch Ness Monster doesn’t exist or that the tooth fairy isn’t real or that Santa is make-believe.
“Lilidorei turns all this upside down. It exists and it is captivating. We cannot wait to open the doors to Lilidorei and release the magic.
“Play is important for the mind and body - it isn’t something we just ‘do’. Using the best craftsmen and film set designers Lilidorei will transport the visitor into a fantastical world of play and I’m so happy that it is going to appear in Northumberland.”
The opening of Lilidorei has been pushed back on a couple of occasions, most recently due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, now that the first house has been installed, there are hopes that it will be full steam ahead until spring next year, when the attraction opens to the public.
It is claimed Lilidorei will boost the economy of Alnwick and the surrounding area by £68m over the next ten years and though its construction has generally been positively received as a boost for tourism, a proposed loan of £8.5m from Northumberland County Council to make it happen was criticised in 2017 before it was withdrawn.
The Alnwick Garden itself is a charitable trust, but is run by the Duchess of Northumberland, whose husband the Duke is estimated to hold wealth of more than £300m.
In 2019, the project received £5m as part of the Borderlands Growth Deal, with councillors further criticising funding for the project coming from taxpayers’ money.