The Nest – skygazing pavilion at Talkin Tarn

In May 2023 the construction of a structure, now called The Nest – skygazing pavilion, situated near the wood on the south-eastern side of Talkin Tarn, commenced. This beautiful structure, inspired by the shape of a bird’s nest, celebrates our dark skies, cultural heritage, and surrounding ‘slow landscape’.

The pavilion design draws upon the history and materials used in traditional round house construction. The structure was designed and constructed by The Mast Collective, consisting of architects, Pons Aelius, designer and maker, Ross Heffernan, and green woodworker, Shannon Berry, in collaboration with volunteers, local communities and Cumberland Council.

The main frame of the pavilion is constructed from timber poles, with hazel panels wrapping around the outside, encasing the green wood uprights and seating. The timber was locally sourced and the hazel sustainably coppiced for the build which used traditional skills and the help of volunteers creating the panels on-site.

Volunteers learned the endangered heritage craft of hazel weaving, using traditional tools during a series of workshops with Shannon Berry, to create the structure’s outer skin. The hazel panels were woven in a curve to match the shape of the frame and work as a tensioned outer skin giving structure to the frame.

The column bases were cast by hand from a low-carbon mix concrete. The main frame of the pavilion is assembled from larch poles which were peeled and shaped using traditional hand tool techniques on site. A self-supporting structure was constructed using traditional green woodworking techniques and the round wood beams secured using a metal bar.

Locally sourced and sustainably managed larch was felled for the seating and the components machined to ensure minimum waste. The seating units were constructed on site and put into place.

The structure offers a place for people to rest, reflect, and look up to engage with the night sky and the abundant natural world that lives above our heads.

An arts activity was held on Saturday 17 June 2023, to create a temporary roof for the new pavilion as it neared completion. Artist, Dominic Smith, led the event, working with photographic panels and found natural materials to create roof sections which map the constellation of stars to be seen from the pavilion at the summer equinox.

Each panel was made from special light sensitive material that changes shade according to the daylight levels at the time of its creation. Each of the nine panels took 30 minutes to create and were installed on the pavilion at the end of the day.