Janus Chairs are three large rotating seats that offer seating, shelter and a view of the open expanse of Kielder Water. Based on the idea of flower petals in different stages of unfolding, the seats can be arranged to face each other, face the sun or the desired view, or turn their backs to inclement weather.

Janus Chairs are three large rotating seats that offer seating, shelter and a view of the open expanse of Kielder Water. They were developed by Newcastle-based Ryder Architecture who took the idea of flower petals in different stages of unfolding as the basis for their design. The seats are ‘Goldilocks’ like with a large one, a medium sized one, and a small one, although once a visitor arrives it is clear that all are actually very big structures.

The have been set close to each other and close to the water on a small promontory facing out into the middle section of the lake. Their bases include a bearing that allows each to be slowly turned. In this was visitors can arrange them in a social group facing each other, towards the sun or a desired view, or to turn their backs to inclement weather.

Janus Chairs have been made using a Glulam construction method, where many thin strips of wood are bent around a former and then glued together. When they are removed from the jig, they retain their curved form and then a number of individual curved beams can be glued side by side with each other to create the larger, wider, and smaller, narrower, chairs.

The chairs were backed with stainless steel to reflect the environment and sky, and attached to their swivelling bases before being installed at their final location.

Ryder Architecture worked with Nor-build timber fabrication and fine carpentry to create Janus Chairs.

Janus Chairs sit on the Lakeside Way between Salmon Cubes to the east, in the direction of Hawkhope car park, and Viewpoints and Silvas Capitalis to the west, in the direction of Kielder Castle.

On the right as you approach Janus Chairs can be seen the remains of an enclosure that formed part of Plashett’s Farm, a set of buildings that were once located just beyond the site of the Chairs. The buildings were demolished when the valley was flooded and their remains are now largely hidden beneath the surface of the water. The track down to the Chairs from the Lakeside Way follows the line of an old road that passed through the farm and when the lake level is low traces of the road surface and also dressed stone blocks that were once part of the farm buildings can be seen on the shoreline.

Further into the lake in the bottom of the valley was the site of Plashett’s Station, a stopping point on the Border Counties Railway that ran from Hexham to the southeast, through to Riccarton Junction in Scotland.