World Heritage Day Schools Trail

World Heritage Day Schools Trail

Hello! And thank you for taking part in the World Heritage Day Schools Trail inspired by the Lindisfarne Gospels.

We have eight schools participating, each creating an illuminated letter, which will be displayed in local shops in Durham City, spelling out the word HERITAGE. Each school's letters are as follows:

H Cleves Cross Primary School  
E Shotton Hall Primary School
R Ludworth Primary School 
I Ferryhill Station Primary School
T Fishburn Primary School
A Wingate Primary School
G Yohden Primary School 
E Coxhoe Primary School

Below you will find guides and resources which you can use to create your A2 illuminated letter inspired by the Lindisfarne Gospels. We will be collecting one illuminated letter from your school on Friday 1^st April.

You can view high quality images of the Lindisfarne Gospels via the British Library's website.

Resources and materials

Your school will have received or be receiving their resources pack, with enough materials for one class. The materials will include:

• A2 cartridge paper
• 30 x Bamboo ink quills
• A selection of 6 different coloured inks
• 3 x gold ink
• Stick-on gems and jewels
• A free children's book on the Lindisfarne Gospels

On this webpage you will find 5 instructional videos made by local artist, Sofia Barton. This includes an Introduction, a look at Animals, Patterns and Borders used in the Lindisfarne Gospels, how to make your own additional Inks and a final video on making your Final Piece.

Your class are invited to create their own individual letters and to create a final A2 letter, either as a class or by choosing your favourite to display as part of the trail.

Items you can find at Home

Using some of the things you may find at home we can create a variety of different inks.

• Tea (loose or bags) – Creates a brown effect. Good for adding backgrounds or making faint lines
• Coffee – Creates a darker effect than tea
• Turmeric – Makes an orangey yellow
• Paprika – Makes a reddish brown
• Mint – Dried mint (not fresh) will create a dark green.
  
  To use these as inks, experiment by adding a tablespoon of the dried ingredient, then two tablespoons of water and a pinch of salt. Watch the consistency as they change with whatever ingredient you’re using.
   
  Any dried ingredient becomes more potent the longer it’s left to seep into water/vinegar as the pigment will be drawn out better.
  
  
  

Foraging

Blackberries: These are very much in season and good for picking from August – September in the UK.  You can pick wild ones – often called brambles – yourself for free from hedgerows, on the sides of footpaths and around the city.

How to make them into ink: When foraging, be careful as the brambles often have thorns. Pick the ones that are ripe (they will feel soft, have a dark colour and will pick off easily with your fingertips. I filled a recycled container full of them, and added two large tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. You can also use white vinegar or lemon juice, the acidity will help to bring out the colour). I then half-filled the container with warm water and using the back of a spoon, made sure all the blackberry juice was squeezed out. If you prefer, you can use a mortar and pestle. I then left the mix for an hour. To get rid of the pulp and the lumpy bits, I used a coffee filter to pour the mix into another container, which gave me the ink. I then composted the pulp I didn’t need in my garden. If you don’t have coffee filters you can use a sieve or a muslin cloth for berries.

Cherries and other berries: I also found wild cherries that can be used in the same way. However, some berries like this would need the pip removed before they can be ground. Foraging is entirely dependent on what’s in season.

Spinach: If you have a garden or allotment then you may find more things to use, spinach for example. You can also buy it locally like I did and use it to make a great green ink. I emptied a packet of baby spinach into a recycled container. I added ¼ of the pack to start with, added 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (you can also use white vinegar), and half filled the container with water. I then used a spoon to slowly grind the spinach down. Once I felt like it was enough, I’d add another ¼ of the packet until it was finished. The vinegar acidity helps bring out the green in the spinach, but unlike the blackberries, you can smell it in the mixture. I then left the mix for an hour. To get rid of the pulp and the lumpy bits, I used a coffee filter to pour the mix into another container which gave me the ink. I then composted the pulp I didn’t need in my garden. If you don’t have coffee filters you can use a sieve.

Other things you can also use: Beetroot, Fresh Mint, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Red Cabbage, Hazelnut, Elderberry, Grape juice, Goldenrod, Rowan berries, Sloes, Rosehip, etc.

If you are interested in foraging the Woodland Trust have an amazing directory of what you can find:
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/things-to-do/foraging/

Fresh fruit and fresh ingredients in ink mean it doesn’t last long and could be light sensitive. To preserve and store any natural inks you would need to add gum arabic.

In addition to looking at natural inks, you can use food colouring as an alternative. Food Colouring contains curcumin (a yellow orange like turmeric) and indigo carmine (a blue from salt).

For more information or help with the resources please get in touch via email.

Emily Dowler
Project Officer, Durham University Library and Collection
e.v.dowler@durham.ac.uk

Louise Thain
Creative Freelancer, Durham Cathedral
louisethain1@gmail.com