If you have ever wondered how a giant fluorescent red lion appeared overnight in Trafalgar Square or the Olympic Rings on Tower Bridge, look no further than the tiny village of Tockwith, near York.
Behind the vast doors of three huge industrial hangars on the outskirts of the village is a world of extraordinary creativity, in which groundbreaking concepts are transformed into remarkable feats of design and engineering destined for prestigious events across the world.
Occupying more than 14,000 square meters of open space, these vast buildings house a team of some of the finest craftspeople and innovators in the UK, who spend months – sometimes years – developing jaw-dropping constructions for the entertainment, marketing, and sports industries.
Yet Stage One is probably one of the county’s best-kept secrets.
How many viewers of the TV series The Voice, for example, know the spectacular stage set was built and engineered right here in Yorkshire; that Stormzy’s ‘Rain Deck’ at the Brit Awards was a Tockwith innovation, or the 2012 Olympic cauldron – designed by Thomas Heatherwick – was engineered and constructed by the team that cultivates the seed of an idea into a forest of mechanical structures?
It would take an entire book to do justice to the wealth of projects and the extraordinary individuals behind them, as Stage One CEO Mark Johnson is quick to point out.
‘They are the people who make it happen,’ he says. ‘The success of each and every project is down to the people whose skills are second to none.’
Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Yorkshire Life.
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Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Yorkshire Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Charity Starts At Home
How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?
THE INTERVIEW Steph McGovern
Live from Leeds - Steph McGovern returns to the studio after a scary lockdown lesson in live TV
THE SCENE SETTERS
Hidden away in a North Yorkshire village, you’ll find a business making huge stage sets for global audiences, from TV’s The Voice, to the Olympics and Trafalgar Square’s plinths
On solid ground
Dry stone walls are the thread that bind Yorkshire’s landscape. Fancy giving it a go? Pete Maynard quit his job to do just that
The French furniture hunters
A day in the life of Stephen and Kath Hazell who run The French House in York, one of the largest French antiques businesses in the UK
Face value
We caught up with Sarah Thomas, co-founder of the York-based beauty brand that’s changing the game with waterless, vegan, natural and organic products
Wildlife in crisis
From the bottom of the sea to the top of the tallest tree, there are tales of wildlife woes all over Yorkshire. The good news is that it’s not too late to save what little remains
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
Boxing clever
The Hare at Scawton was named Yorkshire Life Restaurant of the Year in 2019 and owners Paul and Liz Jackson had big plans for their gourmet hotspot. When lockdown happened, they put down the kitchen knives and opened the tool box. The results are spectacular
All the dales
This route from Thixendale to Hanging Grimston is often missed by local hikers, but it covers a number of glorious dales. Warning: there’s a one in six climb, but the views make it all worthwhile
