Minotaur

As part of the Kielder Art and Architecture Trail artist Shona Kitchen was commissioned in conjunction with architect Nick Coombe to create a new maze for Kielder Castle Visitor Centre. The creation, named “Minotaur” after the ancient Greek myth, is located below the Castle and next to the Kielder Burn.

The designers developed the maze over the course of a year, honing the layout with the help of the Virtual Reality Centre at the University of Middlesbrough, they created a number of digital walk-throughs until they were satisfied they had the best layout.

The maze itself was constructed from metal gabions filled with Whinstone rocks for the main walls, and recycled green glass for the centre of the maze. The glass walls of the central feature raise above the Whinstone walls meaning the goal is always in view, though that doesn't make finding it easier. The glass was recovered from industrial glass kilns after they had been cleaned out for maintenance.

The Whinstone is almost black in colour, giving the maze a feeling of dark purpose, while the glittering glass offers a contrast of light at the end of the tunnel. It was finally opened in 2006 and in 2007 it won both RIBA and Civic Trust Awards for its design.

While the maze isn't huge, it still took us around 10 minutes to get to the centre after many wrong turns and is great fun for young and old, and don't worry, there are no mythical creatures to eat the unwary visitor!