For those who want to admire local art after a bracing walk in the countryside, why not head to Allendale, where a local artist is getting ready to open a new gallery.

Recently named as one of the most eccentric villages in the UK by the Guardian, Allendale’s newest opening is Gallery in the Mill at Allen Mill, which will have its official socially distanced launch party on Saturday, May 1.

The gallery has been established by local artist and former bed and breakfast owner Carol Davison, where she will display works inspired by Northumberland and her world travels.

Her paintings specialise in landscapes ranging from Northumberland to the foothills of the Himalayas, which she was inspired by one a trip to the North of India.

Carol said: “For a long time, I’ve been painting portraits of people from Northumberland, Tibet, India and China.

“More recently, I’ve been focusing on still life paintings, featuring artefacts from my family.

“Currently, I’m working on a small series of oil paintings, featuring my granddaughter, Boo, with a magical, dreamy, surreal style.”

As well as exhibiting her own works, Carol will exclusively show works by her friend Paul Stangroom, who is moving to Ribeira Brava in Madeira with his partner this summer, where he will open a studio.

Paul is a Royal Watercolour Society award winner and friend of Gallery at the Mill owner Carol.

Paul says: “The vast body of my work features the North Pennine landscape and so Carol Davison’s Gallery at the Mill is the perfect spot to showcase my originals and prints in the UK.

“Carol and I are long-standing friends and the old smelting mill is the perfect place to house my work.”

As well as his North Pennines landscapes, Paul has launched a second poetry book in collaboration with his friend Noel Connor as part of the gallery’s opening event.

The poems in ‘An Ungoverned Sky’ aim to capture the history and landscape of the North Pennines.

Allen Mill, where the gallery is located, is an attraction in itself. The centre of the region’s lead mining industry between 1600 and 1897, it is a partial ancient industrial monument, with the original smelting hearts and water wheel pits being preserved.

Carol said: “I love the history of the mill. I am certain my ancestors would have worked there a couple of centuries ago!”

You can see Carol’s work by visiting Gallery at the Mill or checking out her website www.caroldavison.com.