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"Let sleeping dogs lie..." – installation at Tattershall Castle

Detail of the installation by Geraldine Pilgrim; part of "The House of Bling" exhibition at the Castle between the 8th and 23rd August.

A medieval castle, brick-built in the 1440s by Lord Ralph Cromwell Tattershal was a statement of great wealth. This included the installation of great stone fireplaces carved with emblems reflecting Cromwell's career. After the Civil War the outer wall of the castle was demolished and the site gradually fell into disrepair. In the early 20th century, an American syndicate bought the castle for architectural salvage and its demolition became imminent. When the fireplaces were removed and prepared for shipment to the USA the outcry was such that Lord Curzon stepped in and bought the castle in 1911. His efforts to find and restore the fireplaces to their rightful home were rewarded when they were discovered in huge packing cases at Tilbury Docks. Their eventual return, still in the packing cases, together with romantic tales of women trapped in towers, has inspired Geraldine Pilgrim's evocative work for the exhibition this summer.

On the third floor of the castle tower she has filled the small rooms off the Private Chamber with half broken open packing cases revealing objects and accoutrements associated with Rapunzel, the Lady of Shallot and the Sleeping Beauty. The example here shows Sleeping Beauty's bed chamber almost hidden from sight but lit from the chamber window while the viewer is in deep shadow.

Geraldine Pilgrim specialises in installations in unusual buildings and attracted much critical and popular acclaim for her "Dreams of a winter night" - part of the 2007 Picturehouse exhibition at NZ0878 : Belsay Hall.