Artist and designer Es Devlin unveils Library of the Four Winds at the Temple of the Four Winds at Castle Howard, marking the tercentenary of architect Sir John Vanbrugh. Picture: Rick Walker/PA Media Assignment, with permission of Castle Howard
LET internationally renowned artist and designer Es Devlin introduce Library of the Four Winds, her new public sculptural installation, on show in and around the Temple of the Four Winds at Castle Howard until September 27 as part of visionary architect Sir John Vanbrugh’s tercentenary celebrations.
“It’s a very special privilege to be invited to make a new work within Vanbrugh’s exquisite Temple of the Four Winds,” she says. “The Library of the Four Winds is a luminous oval revolving bookshelf, made up of hundreds of books, reflected to double height through a mirrored base.”
Devlin’s voice can be heard in a soundscape inside and outside. “The sculpture reads aloud from 250 of the books that have most influenced me. It draws on Vanbrugh’s dedication to literature, architecture and political activism within his final architectural masterpiece,” she says.
Four curved tables and concentric benches form a circle around the pavilion in an open invitation to visitors to connect with another. “Each table is laid with a selection of my annotated books, and we invite visitors to sit and read and meet one another through the texts throughout the summer of this National Year of Reading,” says Es “We are also offering drawing workshops each Saturday [from midday], where people can encounter one another through portraiture.”
Hailed as “the Shakespeare of English architecture”, Vanbrugh had concurrent careers as self-trained architect, playwright, adventurer, soldier, spy, diplomat and garden designer. “It could only be charm,” says Nicholas Howard, when speculating why Vanbrugh received the Castle Howard commission from Charles Howard, the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, after meeting him in the confines of the Kit-Cat Club in London. “I can’t find any other explanation.”
To mark the 300th anniversary of Vanbrugh’s death, Castle Howard is celebrating his legacy with exhibitions, installations, workshops, talks and performances throughout the year.
Nicholas and Victoria Howard say:“It was Vanbrugh’s vision that brought Castle Howard to life, and now the house has the honour of celebrating its creator. There are many ways that audiences can engage with and learn about this larger-than-life character this year, and we are delighted to present this response by Es Devlin, which allows her to explore her own affinity to Vanbrugh. Her work is an innovative response to Vanbrugh’s vision and continues Castle Howard’s work with contemporary artists.”
Library of the Four Winds takes up summertime residency in the temple used originally as a place for refreshment and reading: Devlin’s starting point for creating the new artwork in an aesthetic space whose exact purpose was never specified formally.
There was even more of a buzz surrounding the installation at the press launch, on account of a swarm of bees in search of the queen bee concentrating their energies on the rear of the temple.
Library of the Four Winds artist and designer Es Devlin reading a book outside the Temple of Four Winds, Castle Howard, in a nod to the National Year of Reading. Picture: Rick Walker, PA Media Assignment, with permission of Castle Howard
“What a magical place Castle Howard is,” Es enthuses, drawn to Vanbrugh’s “flamboyant Baroque architecture”, his concern for systems in houses and architecture, his fascination with geometry. “The place is humming with it. What he found in nature was mathematics.”
In turn, mechanics come into the design of Es’s installation, built by Stage One Creative Services, a North Yorkshire manufacturing and engineering company that specialises in bespoke fabrications for the creative industries, based at Marston Business Park, Tockwith.
Central to the impact of the Library of the Four Winds on the Temple of the Four Winds itself is the mirrored base. “The temple invites you to look around you, 360 degrees, and to look up, almost putting a joke, a little riddle at the top where there are two gargoyles. The only way you are not invited to look is down, but this mirror, with the revolving bookshelf, now invites you to look down as well as up.”
Then add the steady rhythm of the rotating bookshelf with its projections of text going in and out of view, complemented at intervals by imagery of birds in flights, adding to the sense of calm, or reflection, of being at peace with books, surrounded by such beauty.
“Whenever I make something that revolves, I notice that people fall into a reverie,” says Es. “It reminds us of what we’re trained to forget, which is that we’re constantly turning.”
In creating the Library of the Four Winds, Es has a partner operating in tandem with her. “I’ve been working with the building as the co-author since the beginning,” she says. “I view the building as a protagonist, as another of the dramatis personae.”
She wants her installation to be a conversation piece. “I hope that people who don’t love the same songs, read the same books, share the same political views, go to the same church, or speak the same language, will be brought together to discuss something else, where they don’t have to keep talking about what separates us,” says Es.
Es Devlin’s installation, Library of the Four Winds, is on show in the Temple of the Four Winds, Castle Howard, near Malton, until September 27. Entry is included in Castle Howard admission.
Every Saturday until September 26, a 45-minutedrawing workshoptakes place at the installation; materials are provided. Friday Lates, an opportunity to see the Library of the Four Winds on a summer evening, will be held on July 3, August 7 and September 4. To book, go to: www.castlehoward.co.uk.
York linocut printmaker and wildlife artist Gerard Hobson with one of his 13 bird boxes for the Castle Howard Easter Family Trail. Picture: David Scott
FROM a bird box trail and Vanbrugh’s architecture at Castle Howard to Horrible Histories in concert and a very hungry caterpillar, Charles Hutchinson embraces Easter’s extra spring in the step.
Birdlife event of the week: Castle Howard Easter Family Trail, Castle Howard Gardens & Arboretum, near York, until April 19
CASTLE Howard has collaborated with York artist and printmaker Gerard Hobson on a new interactive Easter trail, comprising 13 handmade wooden bird boxes installed for a springtime adventure across Castle Howard Gardens and the Arboretum.
The boxes house Hobson’s linocuts of birds, including swallow, magpie, woodpecker and wren, as part of a story designed for children as they all prepare for spring. “Young explorers will discover interesting facts about our feathered friends and learn more about their homes along the way,” he says. Admission is included in Castle Howard and Arboretum day tickets at castlehoward.co.uk/castlehowardarboretumtrust.org.
James B Partridge: Teaching the world to sing Primary School Bangers at York Barbican. Picture: Rebecca Johnson
“School” concert of the week: James B Partridge, Primary School Bangers, York Barbican, tonight, doors 7pm
TEACHER James B Partridge brings his viral hit show Primary School Bangers to York for a night of massive singalongs, throwback mash-ups and tongue-in-cheek humour. What started in the classroom has become a nationwide phenomenon – from Glastonbury to sold-out theatres – as James leads audiences through the songs that defined school days.
“Whether you’re a teacher, a parent, or just someone who remembers every word to He’s Got The Whole World In His Hands, this one’s for you,” he says. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Architect Roz Barr: Curator and designer of Staging The Baroque: Vanbrugh At Castle Howard. Picture: Carole Poirot
Exhibition of the week: Staging The Baroque: Vanbrugh At Castle Howard, on show at Castle Howard, near York, until October 31
STAGING The Baroque: Vanbrugh At Castle Howard celebrates its creator, the architect and playwright Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726), on the 300th anniversary of his death.
Designed and curated by architect Roz Barr, the exhibition chronicles the story of the stately home’s creation, exploring Vanbrugh’s visionary use of scale, shadow and light and his creative relationship with the third Earl of Carlisle, as shown in letters by Vanbrugh on public display for the first time. Tickets: castlehoward.co.uk.
Chris Helme: Showcasing new album Forest For The Trees at Rise@Bluebird Bakery
Recommended but sold out already: Chris Helme, Forest For The Trees Album Launch, Rise@Bluebird Bakery, Acomb, April 5 and 6, doors 7.30pm
YORK songwriter and former Seahorses frontman Chris Helme plays a brace of official album launch gigs for Forest For The Trees after a busy 2025 touring his World Of My Own album.
Helme returned to the studio to record stripped-back versions of raw, soulful and bruised songs from his 30-year back catalogue. Forest For The Trees is the first of an ongoing series of recordings, showcasing gently crafted versions of Love Me & Leave Me, Standing On Your Head and other Seahorses classics and more besides.
Harrie Hayes’s Queen Elizabeth I makes her point to Richard David-Caine’s William Shakespeare in Horrible Histories: The Concert, Live And Dead On Stage! Picture: Matt Crockett
“The ultimate first concert for children”: Horrible Histories: The Concert, Live And Dead On Stage!, York Barbican, April 6, 2.30pm and 6.30pm; April 7, 11am and 3pm
FOR the first time, favourite songs and actors from Horrible Histories’ CBBC TV series will be live – and dead! – on stage in York. When Queen Elizabeth I asks William Shakespeare to create the greatest show on earth, he runs into trouble with monstrous King Henry VIII and Queen Victoria.
Once Death appears, Boudica and Cleopatra want to take over! Can things turn any worse? Of course they can! Cue songs such as Stupid Deaths, Charles II, Dick Turpin and The Monarchs Song, performed to a band led by Horrible Histories’ song master, Richie Webb. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Jason Fox: Helping you to reboot your thinking and challenge your limits at York Barbican
Advice of the week: Jason Fox: Embrace The Chaos, York Barbican, April 8, 7.30pm
SOME people are built to embrace the chaos. Adventurer, Royal Marine Commando and UK Special Forces soldier Jason Fox is one of them, having survived myriad hostile outposts as an elite operator, documentary maker and expedition leader.
In his new show, Foxy shares stories of his close brushes with enemy gunmen, terrorist bomb makers and cartel leaders, while revealing his strategies for surviving and thriving in environments as life-threatening as the Arctic Circle and Afghan Badlands. Using principles from his military operations, he will help you to reboot your thinking, challenge your limits, change your habits, transform and rebalance your life – and he will answer audience questions too. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.
Clowning skills aplenty in Out Of The Box at Helmsley Arts Centre
Family show of the week: Darryl J Carrington in Out Of The Box, Helmsley Arts Centre, April 9, 2pm
DARRYL J Carrington transforms everyday objects into extraordinary adventures in Out Of The Box, where a toothbrush stars in a balancing act, a string sparks a heist and a tea party lands on someone’s head in an hour of joyful chaos, jaw-dropping skill and irresistible fun.
Carrington brings five-star Edinburgh Fringe reviews, the Brighton Fringe’s Best Family Show prize and more than 20 years of circus and clowning experience to his silent comedy’s blend of juggling, inventive physical theatre and audience interaction. Box office: 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk.
Professor Danny and lab assistant Crazy Kazy in Top Secret’s show The Magic Of Science, High Voltage
Fun experiments of the week: Top Secret in The Magic Of Science, High Voltage, Pocklington Arts Centre, April 9, 2pm
JOIN Top Secret as they go on a high-voltage adventure, The Magic Of Science, to ask the question “Is it magic…or is it science?” in a fast-moving, colourful, interactive show filled with mystery, suspense, experiments and loads of mess.
Danny Hunt and Stephanie Clarke take on the guise of Professor Danny and his lab assistant Crazy Kazy as they fuse the mystery of magic with wondrous and miraculous feats of science. Box office: 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk.
Abigail Bailey and the meal-seeking caterpillar in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, munching its way through York Theatre Royal. Picture: Pamela Raith
Children’s show of the week: ROYO presents The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, York Theatre Royal, April 9 to 11; Thursday, 2pm and 4pm; Friday and Saturday, 11am and 2pm
CREATED by Jonathan Rockefeller, The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show features 75 lovable puppets in a faithful 50-minute adaptation of four stories by author/illustrator Eric Carle:Brown Bear, Brown Bear, 10 Little Rubber Ducks, The Very Busy Spider and the titular star of the show.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar has delighted generations of readers since its publication in 1969, selling more than 48 million copies worldwide. Telling those tales will be a cast of Abigail Bailey, Oliver Davis, Connor Keetley and Amber Wadey. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.
Tribute act at the double of the week: Nic Cage Against The Machine, The Crescent, York, April 10, 7.30pm
MOVE over Elvana, the covers- band conflation of Elvis and Nirvana. Here comes the even wilder Nic Cage Against The Machine, a tribute to Californian rock band Rage Against The Machine, fronted by an homage to Hollywood ‘s Nouveau Shamanic method actor supreme Nicolas Cage, with props. “Not sure what more you’re looking for here – if you’re not sold already I don’t know what to tell you,” says The Crescent website. Leeds fun punks Moose Knuckle support. Box office: thecrescentyork.com.
York Stage cast members in Come From Away, making its York debut at the Grand Opera House. Picture: Matthew Kitchen
Musical of the week: York Stage in Come From Away, Grand Opera House, York, April 10 to 18, Tuesday to Saturday, 7.30pm; Saturday matinees 2.30pm; Sunday matinee, 4pm
NIK Briggs directs the York premiere of Irene Sankoff and David Hein’s Olivier and Tony Award-winning musical account of the real-life story of 7,000 air passengers being grounded in Canada in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, whereupon the small Newfoundland community of Gander invites these “come from aways” into their lives with open hearts.
Performed by a cast of 19, Come From Away is “more than just a musical,” says Briggs. “It’s a celebration of humanity, resilience and the power of community. Step into a world where kindness conquers all, brought to life with invigorating, electrifying music and stories that will make you laugh, cry, and believe in the goodness of people.” Box office: atgtickets.com/york.
Brief Encounter actor Cyril Raymond and stage actress Janet Morrison, with Nicholas Crosse, the son he never met and was given up for adoption by Janet, a story told for the first time in Joanna Crosse’s documentary Briefest Encounters
Film event of the week: Brief Encounter, Briefest Encounters and Q&A, City Screen Picturehouse, York, April 10, 7pm
NEXT Friday’s screening of the 80th anniversary restoration of David Lean’s Brief Encounter (PG) will be followed by North Rigton-raised journalist, researcher and filmmaker Joanna Crosse’s new documentary, uncovering the untold love story behind the 1945 film, revealing the hidden past of her grandfather, actor Cyril Raymond, who played Laura’s cuckolded husband Fred.
In an uncanny twist of fate, Raymond had a ‘brief encounter’ with actress Janet Morrison during a transatlantic stage production in 1929 that resulted in a child being born out of wedlock. Cinema myth meets lived experience in Briefest Encounters as interviews, letters, Raymond’s rediscovered diaries and archive material show how interrupted love, inherited silence and duty shaped family lives for generations. Crosse and fellow Meaningful Films filmmaker Luke Taylor will take part in a Q&A afterwards. Box office: picturehouses.com.
In Focus: James Graham’s Punch, Leeds Playhouse, April 7 to 11
Jack James Ryan’s Jacob in Punch. Picture: Pamela Raith
OLIVIER Award-winning playwright James Graham’s Punch is a true story of hope, humanity and the possibility of change.
Based on Jacob Dunne book Right From Wrong, it tells Jacob’s story of being a Nottingham teenager from The Meadows estate who spent his Saturday nights seeking thrills with his friends.
One fateful weekend, an impulsive punch leads to fatal consequences. After serving prison time, Jacob finds himself lost and directionless. Searching for answers, Joan and David – the parents of his victim James Hodgkinson – ask to meet, sparking a profound transformation in Jacob’s life.
Jacob’s unflinching account of the power of forgiveness sparked courthouse discussion and parliamentary debate in the House of Commons on the topic of Restorative Justice at the time of Punch’s 2024 premiere at the Nottingham Playhouse. The play was even cited by a judge when sentencing a one-punch case.
Finty Williams, left, Matthew Flynn, Grace Hodgett Young, Elan Butler (hidden), Jack James Ryan and Laura Tebbutt in Punch. Picture: Pamela Raith
Nottingham playwright Graham is one of Great Britain’s most celebrated writers, winning multiple Olivier Awards, as well as receiving BAFTA, Emmy and Tony Award nominations. His political drama This House opened at Leeds Playhouse in 2018. Now he returns to the Leeds theatre from April 7 to 11 with the energetic, entertaining but heartbreaking Punch after runs in London and on Broadway last year.
To complement Graham’s play, a Talking Circle structure will sit front of house to provide a space for audiences to gather and reflect on the performance, while post-show discussions on related themes will be led by expert speakers.
Graham was awarded the Longford Trust’s Kevin Pakenham Award for Punch, joined on the honours’ board by David Shields, winner of the Best Performance in a Play prize at the 2024 UK Theatre Awards 2024 for his lead role in the premiere.
On tour, the role of Jacob will be played by Jack James Ryan (Sing Street, Lyric Hammersmith; Coronation Street, ITV), joined in Adam Penford’s cast by Elan Butler (The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return, Southwark Playhouse and UK Tour; Masters Of The Air, Apple TV+) as Raf and Sam and Matthew Flynn (The Winter’s Tale, Royal Shakespeare Company; Say Nothing, Disney/FX) as David, the father of James Hodgkinson.
Finty Williams’s Joan and Matthew Flynn’s David, James’s parents in Punch. Picture: Pamela Raith
In the company too will be Olivier-nominated Grace Hodgett Young (Sunset Boulevard, Savoy Theatre/St James Theatre; Hadestown, Lyric Theatre) as Clare and Nicola; Laura Tebbutt (Mrs Doubtfire, Shaftesbury Theatre; School Of Rock, Gillian Lynne Theatre) as Jacob’s mum and Wendy and Finty Williams (The Ocean At The End Of The Lane, national tour; Run Away, Netflix) as James’s mother, Joan.
The original creative team returns, including production designer Anna Fleischle (Death Of A Salesman, Broadway; 2:22 A Ghost Story, Young Vic Theatre); lighting designer Robbie Butler (How To Win Against History, Bristol Old Vic; Death In Venice, Welsh National Opera); sound designer and composer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite (Work It Out, HOME; Lost And Found, Factory International) and movement director Leanne Pinder (The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz, Mountview; Disruption, The Park Theatre).
Punch is dedicated to the memory of James Hodgkinson and all victims of one punch. “James dedicated his life to the helping and healing,” says playwright James Graham in his programme note. “His 28 years were a testament to his outlook and his values – a volunteer, a mentor, a paramedic. He was loved by his family and friends, and he gave love in return.
“Theatre can and should be a restorative space of empathy, and increased understanding. We hope to honour and do justice to the man James was.”
Nottingham Playhouse, in association with KPPL Productions, Mark Gordon Pictures and Eilene Davidson Productions, presents Punch, Leeds Playhouse, April 7 to 11, 7.30pm plus 1pm Thursday and 2pm Saturday matinees. Age guidance: 12 plus. Box office: 0113 213 7700 or leedsplayhouse.org.uk.
