Landscape how do you measure it? John of Stargoose and Hangland whipped up a memory for me of a trip to Norfolk to see Sea Henge. That enigmatic wooden circle found as the tide washed out. Excavated much to the anger of local Druids and then housed in Lynn Museum, with the marvellous upside down tree at its centre, pointing to excarnation. Such mystery lies at the heart of Sea Henge. It didn't actually start in the sea, for that has slowly covered the land over the centuries. But it would probably have been in a more wooded part, or perhaps it stood on the line between life and death, land and sea.
We played Mary Chapin Carpenter in the car on the way down and then in the sun came to Holme-on-Sea and we wondered at the vastness of the beach. Sand rolled on for miles and in the distance wind turbines stood knee deep in the sea. There is no notice board as to where Sea-Henge was found, and apparently there is another henge - Holme 11 somewhere but badly eroded I think. Two distinct wooden monuments only a 100 metres apart but constructed in a different fashion at the same time though.
It was the landscape that caught the magic, silvery plants, hedging down the beach path, dunes stretching back to woods, so different to what I had experienced to that moment. The depth of the landscape flat and wild, going on into infinity. I can think of long beaches like the Gower or Newgale but there was always a backdrop and an end stop of cliffs. Flat land just dissolves into the distance.
A return to archaeology for me seems to beckon. I have been deep in watching 'The Celts' a 1980s series, still beautiful after all this time but 40 years ago can you imagine!. Archaeologists that I have read talking away, Barry Cunliffe, Colin Renfrew and that Irish archaeologist whose name I would never be able to spell and his marvellous book with its black and white photos of the terrible gods of the Celts.
All started by hunting down Anne Ross, whose book started me off.
And if you want to read the blog it is here
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Your posts always educate me Thelma, so thank you for this The same goes for Stargoose John - he did a wonderful one a couple of weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteI love his wanderings along the land where he lives. Britain is so different in many of its landscapes Pat.
DeleteI saw Seahenge at the current exhibition at the BM. Arilx
ReplyDeleteDid they take all the wooden posts I wonder, it would have been a massive undertaking Aril. Lucky you for seeing it.
DeleteImpressive.
ReplyDeleteSaved by the sea Joanne but sad it had to be excavated. Trouble is with troublesome Druids they would have made it the centre of their religion and removed its spectacular 'aloneness'
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