The country house with Guillemots on guest list

When Fyfe Dangerfield received a phone call asking if he’d like to stage an art exhibition in the attic of North Yorkshire country house he thought it was a wind up.

His suspicions were understandable. Dangerfield is the lead singer of Guillemots and a man usually found in dingy indie clubs rather than the quaint surroundings of Nunnington Hall. However, the proposal was a genuine one, the brainchild of Simon Lee, Nunnginton’s operations manger.

“We held a classical music concert here at Nunnington last year with the cellist Natalie Clein,” explains Lee. “Fyfe had written some beautiful pieces of music for her that she played on the night which sparked my interest. I later saw some of his drawings and decided to see if he would be interested in having an exhibition here.”

Simon has form when it comes to approaching artists. In the last few years he has persuaded the likes of Bryan Adams and Mary McCartney – the photographer daughter of Sir Paul – to exhibit their work in a normally sleepy corner of North Yorkshire.

“As soon as I realised it wasn’t a prank call, we really took the idea and ran with it,” says Dangerfield, the band’s charismatic frontman. “I wanted it to be a project the whole band could be involved with and Simon seemed really enthusiastic about extending the project.”

So for the next six weeks, when visitors cross the quiet banks of the River Rye and pass through the Hall’s grand entrance doors, they won’t just be greeted with the usual collection of antiques and ancient paintings.

The property’s attic rooms are now home to the Sometimes I Remember Wrong exhibition, which includes a selection of Dangerfield’s drawings, photographs taken by double bass player Aristazabal Hawkes, a 10-minute film noir masterminded by guitarist MC Lord Magrão as well as sculpture and wall hangings by drummer Greig Stewart, the only band member not to have an exotic name.

“The artwork is basically a series of recollections and memories”, says Dangerfield, who, along with the rest of the band, played an intimate acoustic session at the Hall to officially open the event. “It’s an exploration of the nature of creativity. As a band we have never just been about the music. Doodling, taking photographs and making films have always been important to us, so it’s been good opportunity to show people that side of our work.”

Not everyone appreciates Nunnington’s forays into the world of contemporary art. Some visitors would no doubt prefer that the National Trust property stick to antiques. However, the aim of Lee and the rest of the staff at Nunnington has always been to open the rooms up to as many people as possible and the Hall is fast earning a reputation for its art and photographic exhibitions by some of the biggest names in the business.

A couple of years ago, when a Tracey Emin blanket appeared on one of Nunnington’s four poster beds and a gnome crafted from cigarettes by Sarah Lucas popped up next to a priceless antique, people did begin to wonder just how the property managed to lure such high profile artists into its four walls.

Lee has always maintained the answer is simple. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

“I know a lot of people are surprised by the kind of exhibitions we put on and the names we get,” he says.

“But there’s really no great secret. We see people whose work we think is interesting and who we think can add something extra to the Hall and ask if they would be interested in exhibiting.

“There is something really special about Nunnington and a lot of artists relish the opportunity of hanging their work against such a historic backdrop.”

So during the next six weeks, Nunnington Hall will add another chapter to its already rich history and for Dangerfield and the rest of Guillemots their stay in North Yorkshire will be one to remember.

Sometimes I Remember Wrong runs at Nunnington Hall, near Helmsley, to July 31. For more details call 01439 748283 or visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-nunningtonhall

Flyaway success of Guillemots

Guillemots are: singer Fyfe Dangerfield, lead guitarist MC Lord Magrão, bassist Aristazabel Hawkes and drummer Greig Stewart.

The band was formed in 2004 and has acquired a loyal following of fans.

Their first album, Through the Windowpane, was nominated for the 2006 Mercury Music Prize and their second album, Red, reached number 9 in the UK Albums Chart.

They released their latest album Walk the River in April of this year.