PROFILE
Actors dressed as characters from the Harry
Potter fi lms regularly perform at the castle
Christian Perdrier
Harry Potter must have lent
e,
his wand to Christian Perdrier,
B
reathtakingly beautiful gardens his interest was quickly heightened by the
where visitors are actively encour- proposition. The castle and garden wer
aged to walk on the grass and for the fi rst time, being amalgamated into
for the new CEO of Alnwick
a lovingly preserved 700-year-old castle, one destination and a single CEO was
which is home to a certain Harry Potter, are being given sole responsibility for the two
Castle and Alnwick Garden is
the key attractions that Christian Perdrier sites instead of the traditional format of
transforming the fi lm’s setting
fell in love with when he visited Alnwick. He separate management teams. Making the
admits he hadn’t heard of it initially though. attraction a bigger site puts the CEO in a
into a destination. Kathleen “Where’s Alnwick?” was his reaction better position to talk to the tourism indus-
Whyman hears how he plans to
when fi rst approached for the role of CEO try and fulfi l the aim of becoming more
of Alnwick Castle and The Alnwick Garden. than a local and regional attraction.
attract tourists from around the And then, “‘Where’s Northumberland?’” “What appealed to me was the dual
world and even turn Alnwick
the Frenchman recalls. “When they told responsibility of a commercial affair with
me it was near Newcastle, I said ‘OK’. the castle and a charity trust with the gar-
into the UK’s version of Cannes Newcastle United was a nightmare for den,” Perdrier says. “It’s very rare, as 99 per
French football teams 10 to15 years ago, cent of jobs are commercial. I’m covering
so I know about the city.” everything from fi nances to marketing to
Once Perdrier had established that the fundraising. We’re also creating a dynamic
location was in the North East of England, around that to include the town and county
and really put Alnwick on the map, so there
are three components to the role, which is
ABOUT ALNWICK CASTLE AND GARDEN
even more unusual. And I always try and
fi nd something unusual in the jobs I take.”
Built in 1096, Alnwick Castle is the second largest inhabited castle in England, after
Windsor Castle. Home of the Percy family for nearly 700 years and now the home of
Mediaeval magic
the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, Alnwick Castle is open to the public and
It wasn’t just the role that attracted Perdrier,
has been used as the location for many fi lms, including the famous Harry Potter fi lms.
whose previous jobs have been senior
The castle has magnifi cent spacious grounds designed by Capability Brown, magnifi -
vice-president parks and security for both
cent mediaeval towers, a 14th century dungeon, beautiful State Rooms with Italian
Disneyland Resort Paris and Tatweer – a
renaissance design, paintings by Canaletto, Van Dyck and Titian and there are various
member of Dubai Holding, but the place
museums covering the region’s military and archaeological history.
itself. “The castle and garden are a beauti-
The present Duchess of Northumberland initiated the establishment of The Alnwick
ful product, they’re unspoiled,” he says.
Garden adjacent to the castle in 2001. The 42-acre (17-hectare) garden belongs to a
“Alnwick Castle is a place where you leave
charitable trust and includes weirs and fountains, The Ornamental Garden with 15,000
the world of today behind and enter the
plants, a 6,000 sq ft (560sq m) tree house complex, including a café, a poison garden,
mediaeval world of yesterday, while the
growing plants such as cannabis and opium poppy, a pavilion and a visitor centre, which
garden enables you to experience and
can hold up to 1,000 people and has a barrel-vaulted gridshell roof.
appreciate nature through the seasons and
your fi ve senses. When I came here I found
18 Read Attractions Management online
attractionsmanagement.com/digital AM 1 2010
©
cybertrek 2010
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