#cherryburn

Cherryburn, birthplace of Thomas Bewick, in Mickley, Northumberland, England

Cherryburn, "How it Goes"

Cherryburn, "How it Goes" #NowPlaying

Cherryburn, February 2018

Back on #Cherryburn. Yay! #chalkart #drawing #photooftheday (at Cherryburn Gardens, Fenham)

Cherryburn, birthplace of Thomas Bewick.

Cherryburn, birthplace of Thomas Bewick.

The National Trust is sad to see the departure of Freda and Esmeralda, the well-loved, but aged donkeys who have lived at Cherryburn for over 20 years. The donkeys, now both nearly 25 years old, will now be spending their golden years at a specialist donkey retreat on a farm near Hexham that can offer the level of care and attention that their age deserves. Cherryburn is the birthplace of Thomas Bewick, perhaps Northumberland’s greatest artist: a wood engraver and naturalist who revolutionized print art in Georgian England. Growing up at Cherryburn, a humble farmstead overlooking the Tyne Valley in the 18th century inspired Bewick to engrave the scenes from nature and rural life that he became famous for. The National Trust has always been keen to rekindle the pastoral landscape he would have known and the donkeys played a key role in this. Mick Wilkes, Cherryburn property manager, explains: “We are all going to miss Freda and Esmeralda who have been a popular attraction at Cherryburn for many years, but in discussions with the Donkey Sanctuary, we feel that they can receive more expert care at their new home in Hexham.”