About Us

To the region’s list of atmospheric cultural venues, you can add The Bellwether, Charlton. A unique gallery and shop nestled in the heart of the beautifully wild Northumberland National Park.

The aim of the family run gallery is to create Charlton into a destination spot to come and enjoy some of what Northumberland has to offer.

The building is a beautifully converted 19th century haybarn that is run mostly on green energy. Even prior to its conversion The Bellwether was still used to showcase the work of Winston Barnett for the Northumberland Arts Tour in 2005. 

We have kept the classic charm alive with the wooden ceiling and original beams in place, this means the acoustics in the space are fabulous. This has already been showcased by some wonderful concerts held here and many more to come! The gallery also lends its space well for artists workshops, please see our Newsletter page to find out when our next one is.

Winston Barnett

The chickens enjoying the exhibition in the haybarn prior to conversion for 2005 Arts Tour.

Inside the Gallery

Current artists showing in Bellwether

Hannah Forsyth

Christine Cave 

Sue Malkin

Charlotte Thompson

William Morrison-Bell

Sarah Blackett-Ord

Lindsey Cooper

Yvy B

Margie Cook

John Fowler

...and many more with smaller arts, crafts and locally sourced goods!

Frequently Asked Questions

How to find the gallery?

We are located 2.5 miles outside of Bellingham on the way to Kielder Forest, about a 5 minute drive. Our what3words reference is squashes.diary.apples.

Payment Options

We accept all major card payments, apple and google pay, and also cash.

What do we sell in store?

We have a wide variety of items on sale. This ranges from original artwork, prints, glassware, ceramics, textiles, candles, jewelry, soaps, as well as alcohol, biscuits, biltong, jams, chutneys, and honey. We also have a coffee machine that you can help yourself to.

Where do we source what we sell?

Everything at the Bellwether is sourced from the North East of England.

Opening Hours

During January and February the gallery is closed Monday - Thursday and open 12pm - 4 pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday. From April we are closed Monday and Tuesday open 12pm - 4pm for the rest of the week.

Events at the Gallery

We love to put on concerts and workshops! Upcoming events will be updated on our website If you would like to get in touch about hiring the venue, please send us an email.