Visit
If you love handmade crafts and especially glass, and are visiting Northumberland and the Scottish Borders, or just passing through; why not make a visit to the gallery and workshop? You will be sure of a warm welcome from Julia and Flo the gallery dog.
The Glass Gallery
A collection of Julia’s glass is available for immediate sale from the glass gallery within the glass workshop.
The gallery is the best place to see new designs, one-off pieces and the widest selection of Julia’s work.
It is also the only outlet for trial pieces and seconds.
In addition to Julia’s sandblasted bowls, there is a wide range of handmade crystal perfume bottles, vases, paper weights, jewellery, fused glass and leaded panels made by some of the best glass makers in the country.
We stock the handblown work of Jane Charles Studio Glass, Sanders and Wallace Glassmakers, Thomas Petit Glass and EMGlass. A small selection of their work is also available to buy through the online shop.
We have fused glass panels by Driftworks Tidal Art, Julia Davies exhibits her stained and leaded glass panels here and there is also a wide range of jewellery by Maggie Read Jewellery, Connell and Hart and Mere Glass.
Customers are welcome to visit in person or contact Julia to find out what is currently in stock.
If you are intending to make a special journey to see the Glass Gallery, we strongly advise you to contact us in advance, as the gallery and workshop is not open 7 days a week and is closed when Julia is away at an event.
The Hirsel Homestead and Estate
There is plenty to see at the Homestead as Julia has two creative neighbours, a potter and a stone carver. These are working studios, so they are not open every day as we all work and exhibit away at times. Please contact the artists directly if you want to see someone specific.
We have some beautiful countryside walks; you could spend all day just exploring the grounds.
In spring the ground is literally carpeted with flowers for months, starting with acres of snowdrops and moving on to crocus’, daffodils and bluebells. There are many beautiful and unusual trees dotted around from acers to ‘ancient’ specimens, many of which also flower extravagantly in spring. And of course, the ‘Hirsel Fold’ our resident herd of highland cattle are joined by their super cute calves. In early summer we have an entire wood full of rhododendrons and exquisitely perfumed azaleas and you will start to see the wild fowl chicks appearing on the lake. Later the newly re-wilded flower meadows along the verges and in the walled garden come into their best and you can enjoy cool walks along the river Leet. Autumn turns the woodlands into a blaze of reds, golds and oranges and huge flocks of geese and swans arrive to overwinter on the lake. Winter may be a quieter season but the trees look magnificent in silhouette against the sky and you are much more likely to see deer or hares passing through.
There’s also a great café on site serving locally sourced food, often from the estate itself, which is also sold in the adjacent farm shop. They serve a cracking high tea to indulge in after a walk around the grounds.
You can even stay at the homestead, to book one of the two holiday cottages please follow the links for Lakeview Cottage and Ray Bell’s Cottage.