Giant 'magic mushrooms' make 331-mile trip to Lilidorei play village at The Alnwick Garden

The 2.5ft high mushrooms have been uniquely custom made for the attraction by Bristol-based model making company Codsteaks, and have undertaken the 331 mile journey by haulage trucks to Alnwick to be ready in time for the official opening in late spring.

The magic mushrooms form just part of Lilidorei, the £15.5m brainchild of the Duchess, which was created to become a magical land filled with clan houses, secret sounds, and exciting visuals designed to encourage children to play and create their own narrative.

The Duchess said: “Our larger than life magic mushrooms have been years in the making and I am delighted to finally have them here to really bring the village of Lilidorei to life.

“The village is looking fantastic and we are hoping to catch a glimpse of the different clan members in their dwellings and for our visitors to immerse themselves in the magic of Lilidorei.”

Set around Elfwin Drin - the world’s largest play structure standing at 26 metres tall and home to Lord Elfwin, King of Lilidorei, visitors will be encouraged to explore the world of the nine clans’ homes of Sprites, Elves, Fairies, Pixies, Goblins, Hobgoblins, Trolls, Dwarves, and Squiffles, who work towards Christmas all year round.

Every magic mushroom will be relevant to the different clans' homes, each with its own distinct lighting, sound and smell, helping to bring the village of Lilidorei, and children’s imaginations, to life.

The Duchess continued: “Each mushroom is also necessary to provide the reindeers of Lilidorei with the right amount of nutrition to give them enough magic to be able to fly at Christmas to help Santa deliver his presents all over the world.”

The Alnwick Garden also houses the award-winning Poison Garden, filled exclusively with around 100 toxic, intoxicating, and narcotic plants.

The magic mushroom model makers have produced over 2,000 ventures for animation, film, museums, immersive attractions, and more, and are most noted for building sets and props for Aardman Animations productions, including all Wallace & Gromit feature films and models for film sets including Harry Potter.