The Dawning of a New Normal and a visit to the Neolithic
As the grip of the UK’s pandemic’s restrictions is loosened a little, a sense of cautious optimism is blooming alongside the spring flowers.
During this tentative reopening we embarked on a pilgrimage to the prehistoric heartland of Wiltshire – a journey through time to Avebury, Stonehenge, and the West Kennet Longbarrow.
The are civic reasons for doing this as the proposal for a cultual back up generator amphiteatre which will be at the use of the National Youth Theatre is informed by the barrow here and by years of thinking about the ways Neolitlic and later prehistoric people engaged with each other: a dynamic recent months as shown us is essentail and much missed when it is shut down.
Meeting Tim Daw Longstone Cove aka Adam and Eve stones and Beckhampton Avenue.
We met Tim Daw at the begnining of the Avenue of standing stones to leads to Avebry – that place being a space that must have been constructed for performace of some kind, whatever the context.
A moat of time surrounds Avebury’s heart, as we ponder the mysteries within. A thin space.
Reaching the colossal stone circle of Avebury, dwarfed only by its earthwork bank and ditch, we felt a wave of both relief and awe.
The awe-inspiring Avebury, standing witness to millennia, offers a sense of perspective in these unprecedented times.
The village, usually bustling with tourists, held a serene quietude and was subjued, allowing us to truly connect with William Stukeley’s legacy, the 18th-century antiquarian who first recognized Avebury’s significance.
The whispering stones of Avebury stand bathed in the quiet light of a pandemic summer.
As we walked between the weathered stones, their surfaces suggested stories of a bygone era, a welcome distraction from the recent anxieties.
The stone avenue leading to the SAnctuary that looks ove to West Kennet Long Barrow from Avebury
Our adventure continued along the West Kennet Avenue with a view at the end from The Sanctuary to West Kennet Long Barrow, the ancient processional route that stretches on, lined with standing stones like silent sentinels.
Rolling Wiltshire hills, a West Kennet Long Barrow slumbers. A scene of timeless solitude in a world on pause.
Walking this path, once again devoid of the usual crowds, felt like a privilege. Each step along this avenue felt like a step back in time, a connection to the countless individuals who had traversed this path millennia ago, perhaps on pilgrimages of their own.
Finally, we called on Stonehenge, the iconic monument standing proudly against the backdrop of a cautiously optimistic world. The sheer scale and precise construction of the site, coupled with the unanswered questions surrounding its purpose, fueled our imaginations more than ever.
Stonehenge, visited amid the strange circumstance of the current situation – reasuring
In the hushed atmosphere, theories about its use as a temple, burial ground, or astronomical observatory seemed to hold a deeper significance.
Perhaps, like these ancient monuments, humanity too was emerging from a period of darkness and rebuilding its connection to the world.
Tim Ashton at Stonehenge – a selfie as we have to keep our distance for now.
Our final stop was the West Kennet Longbarrow, a Neolithic burial mound offering a glimpse into the lives of those who built these astonishing structures. Stepping into the cool chamber, the air felt strangely reverent. This final stop served as a poignant reminder of the enduring power of the past, a reminder that even in the face of immense challenges, humanity perseveres.
Leaving Wiltshire, we carried with us more than just the echoes of a bygone era. We carried the hope that, like these prehistoric monuments, we too could emerge from a period of hardship and build a new normal, one filled with wonder and a renewed appreciation for the world around us.
