We’re excited to see that groundworks have begun on the new ‘Ad Gefrin’ visitor destination and distillery, near Wooler in Northumberland.
The name ‘Ad Gefrin’ was inspired by the name of the 7th century AD royal residence of King Edwin of Northumbria which was located around 7km to the north-west of Wooler. The new visitor destination, situated in The Old Redpaths Haulage Yard, will see old buildings restored and will create new jobs for the local community, as well as producing a new Northumbrian whiskey named ‘Spirit of Belonging’. This will be the first time that whiskey has been made in Northumberland for 200 years. The new multi-million pound attraction will be opening to the public in Autumn 2022.
We at ARS Ltd are familiar with the history and archaeology of the area surrounding Wooler, having carried out fieldwork at Ad Gefrin as well as numerous excavations at Tarmac’s Cheviot Quarry, located between Wooler and Milfield. There we have encountered archaeological remains spanning from the Mesolithic through to the post-medieval periods. This includes small workshops and rectangular timber-built structures dating to the Anglo-Saxon period, around the same time as the palace at Ad Gefrin. You can find out more about our publications on the archaeology of the area and details of how you can purchase them, here.