Kubrick's Childwickbury estate halts annual art and Christmas event

The events have taken place in and around the old stable block at Childwickbury

The family of US filmmaker Stanley Kubrick has said it would no longer hold an annual arts festival and Christmas market at his former UK home.

The events at the Childwickbury Estate in Hertfordshire were hosted by his artist wife for 20 years.

Christiane Kubrick is now 90 and felt it was time to retire.

Her daughter, Katharina Kubrick, said it was "a lot of work" to organise and she thought her mother had "earned the right" to no longer do it.

Artist Christiane Kubrick, pictured in 2019, married Stanley Kubrick in 1958 after meeting on his 1957 movie Paths of Glory, and they moved to the Childwickbury Estate in 1978

Stanley Kubrick, who directed films including 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange and The Shining, lived at the estate near St Albans until his death in 1999.

The arts fair in July and Christmas market in November took place in and around the old stable block, where artists not only displayed their work but demonstrated how it was created.

They were only charged to be there if they sold any of their work.

Stanley Kubrick's other films included Dr Strangelove, Eyes Wide Shut and Spartacus

Childwick Lodge marks the entrance to the Kubrick estate, between Harpenden and St Albans

In a Facebook post, organisers Childwickbury Arts said it was "sad but true" that the 2022 Christmas market was its "last event".

It said its arts fair was "a brilliant opportunity for creatives to share their skills and talents".

"We'd really like to thank all the artists and makers over the years that have made our Arts Fair and Christmas Market so memorable," a statement said.

"I'm sure we've all made friends for life."

Stanley Kubrick's stepdaughter, Katharina, pictured at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019, said her mother Christiane had "earned the right to retire"

Katharina Kubrick told the BBC: "My mother is 91 in May and just doesn't want to do it any more; it's a lot of work and she has done her bit, I think."

She added that the family had thought about continuing without Christiane being involved, but she had felt if it ran, she would have to make an appearance.

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"It was her idea and she was really part of it," Ms Kubrick said.

"She's a trouper and felt she should be there [if it was taking place].

"It's just nice that she wanted to do it in the first place."

The Childwickbury Arts Fair in July and Christmas Market in November took place in and around the old stable block

The first art fair took place in 2003 after they decided to put on something similar to Art in Action at Waterperry Gardens, near Oxford, and its success led to the Christmas event.

Katharina Kubrick said it was important to them that "people left with knowledge of how artists worked"

Ms Kubrick said it was "incredibly hard to get off the ground" but eventually people realised they could "come and see artists with their tools and watch how they created whatever it was they were making".

"A lot of people don't necessarily connect the dots between the object that they're buying and the process that it took to make it, so we were very specific that people who wanted to demonstrate and sell their work, would bring some of their tools and set up a mini studio atmosphere," she said.

"It was very, very important to us that people left with knowledge of how artists worked, that was essential and at the heart of what we wanted to do."