VISIT THE DUFTON HOARDE
Enter slowly.
The Dufton Hoarde is a small artist-led Museum of Rural Memory in Dufton, in the North Pennines.
Visits are deliberately limited. The rooms can be encountered without crowding, with time for looking, reading, conversation and consulting the Public Registers.
ENCOUNTERING THE HOARDE
The Keeper introduces the museum and the way it came into being. Visitors then move through the rooms, encounter the sculptures and fragment texts, and consult the Public Registers.
Simple prompts are available. Nothing has to be completed.
Tea and coffee are served.
Duration: approximately two hours including 30 minutes with The Keeper
Maximum number: eight people
FUNDED VISITS DURING 2027
A limited programme of free Keeper-led visits during 2027 is supported through Land of Lead and Silver, led by the North Pennines National Landscape and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.
Funded places will remain available until the allocated programme has been completed.
BOOKING OPENS SOON
Visit dates and booking links will be added here when the programme is confirmed.
Admission: free
Duration: approximately two hours
Maximum number: eight people
After the funded allocation, the standard prices will be:
Individual admission: £18 per person
Private Keeper-led visit: £140 for up to eight people
PRIVATE / GROUP VISITS
Private Keeper-led encounters can be arranged for families, friends and groups of up to eight people.
Visits are also welcomed from artists, universities, researchers, museums, heritage organisations and community groups.
A professional visit may include an introduction from Dawn Hurton, time in the museum and a discussion shaped around the group’s interests.
Private Keeper-led visit: £140 for up to eight people
Longer or tailored visits: by quotation
AFTER THE HOARDE
The encounter can continue beyond the museum.
A self-guided walking kit offers a short route, map and prompts for noticing paths, walls, water, weather and former mining ground.
The kit is included with funded visits during 2027 while programme resources remain available.
The route is self-guided and subject to weather, ground conditions and individual access requirements.
MAKE A MUSEUM FRAGMENT
A one-day making encounter
The day begins inside the Hoarde.
Participants select a piece of landscape knowledge from the books, maps, images and records gathered around the work. This might concern need-fire, hoar frost, a sheep smoot, mining signs, women’s labour or water beneath stone.
Following a demonstration, each person makes a small fragment using paper, rag pulp, fibre, earth pigment and materials associated with the Hoarde.
The object is a material response, not a historical replica. Each participant also writes a short museum label or Register entry.
No previous experience is required.
Time: approximately 10.30am–4.30pm
Capacity: five to six people
Future individual place: £110
THE KEEPER’S TABLE
A commissioned small-group creative wellbeing offer
The Keeper’s Table is a supported encounter for groups of up to four people.
It combines time inside the museum with material handling, simple making, conversation and, where suitable, a short outdoor element.
There is no pressure to complete a finished object. The emphasis is on sensory engagement, companionship, careful looking and working at an individual pace.
The Keeper’s Table can be commissioned by social-prescribing services, care organisations, charities, community groups, wellbeing programmes and cultural partners.
Duration: approximately two and a half hours
Capacity: up to four people
Fee: from £400 per session
Six-session programme: from £2,400
Materials and refreshments are included.
The Keeper’s Table is artist-led creative wellbeing. It is not clinical therapy.
THE KEEPER’S FIELD SHELTER
Making days, gatherings and small-group sessions may take place seasonally in the Keeper’s Field Shelter.
The traditional canvas shelter stands in the garden beside the museum. It provides a place for reading, handling materials, making and gathering close to the landscape from which the Hoarde grew.
Visitors encounter the museum first, then move into the shelter.
The Field Shelter is a contemporary working structure.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Opening dates: [TBC]
Visit length: approximately two hours
Maximum public group size: eight people
Address and postcode: Dufton Hoarde, The Green, Dufton CA16 6DB
Arrival: VIsitors should wait by the blackboard on the green until the Keeper arrives.
Parking: There is a car park in the village (donations invited).
Access: Small threshold steps get in touch for more information
Toilet: Unisex - there are also pubic toilets in the village
Children: Children are welcome and must remain accompanied by a responsible adult. The Hoarde contains fragile objects and quiet, low-lit spaces, so close supervision is necessary throughout the visit.
Photography: Photography for personal, non-commercial use is welcome. Please do not use flash, tripods or additional lighting, and do not photograph other visitors without their permission.
Professional, press or commercial photography must be arranged in advance.
Assistance dogs: Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the Hoarde. Please mention any particular access requirements when booking so that we can make your visit as comfortable as possible.
Other dogs cannot be admitted to the indoor museum spaces.
Outdoor activity: Walking and use of the Field Shelter are subject to weather and ground conditions.
LATE ARRIVAL:Visits begin at the booked time. If you are delayed, please contact us as soon as possible.
Late arrivals will be accommodated where possible, but the visit may need to be shortened. Arrival more than 15 minutes after the booked time may mean that entry cannot be guaranteed.
CANCELLATIONS: Bookings may be cancelled or moved to another available date with at least 48 hours’ notice.
Cancellations made with less than 48 hours’ notice are normally non-refundable, although exceptional circumstances will be considered.
If the Hoarde has to cancel a visit, you will be offered an alternative date or a full refund.
Contact:hello@dawnhurton.com or the relevant visit enquiry form.