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Soulton Long Barrow

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Coordinates: 52°52′26″N 2°40′43″W / 52.8738°N 2.6786°W / 52.8738; -2.6786
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Soulton Long Barrow
Soulton Long Barrow just after dawn on the Summer Solstice 2020
Map
Record height
General information
StatusCompleted
Architectural styleNeoneolitic
LocationSoulton, near Wem SY4 5RS
Coordinates52°52′26″N 2°40′43″W / 52.8738°N 2.6786°W / 52.8738; -2.6786
Construction started2017
CompletedDecember 2020[1]
Opening2018
OwnerSoulton Hall
Design and construction
Architect(s)Michele Gaffney (Architectural Designer)
DeveloperSacred Stones
Structural engineerJonathan Burke
Main contractorRiverdale Stone
The roof of chamber 1 in the Soulton Long Barrow
The roof of chamber 1 in the Soulton Long Barrow

The Soulton Long Barrow and Ritual Landscape is a modern memorial in the form of a long barrow[2] in the Soulton landscape[3] near Wem in Shropshire, England.

The barrow contains niches for the placement of cremation urns.[4] It is also intended for wider celebration of life and community activity. The structure is a sequence of stone chambers under an earthen mound, and was begun in 2017, with a principal stone being laid in the spring of 2018,[5][6] and an early stone being added by writer and historian Tom Holland.[7]

Inspiration

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The monument is inspired by Neolithic barrows built around 5,500 years ago, and following the constructions of the Long Barrow at All Cannings, Wiltshire and the Willow Row Barrow at St Neots, Cambridgeshire. It takes inspiration from among other monuments Bryn Celli Ddu, Barclodiad y Gawres, and Stoney Littleton Long Barrow. Developing the barrow involved collaboration with archaeologists at the University of Cambridge[8][9]

The gate for the barrow was designed by Giles Smith, winner, in the Assemble Collective, of the 2015 Turner Prize.[10]

The Barrow's first chamber was opened for use in summer 2018.[11][12]

A second phase of the barrow's development was begun and completed in the winter of 2019.[13]

Commentary

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In April 2019, the monument was covered on an episode of BBC Countryfile, being visited by Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison.[14]

Exterior of Soulton Long Barrow 2018
Soulton Long Barrow seen from the north and east facing the front that addresses the Summer Solstice sunrise

The monument was included in the 2020 Architecture Foundation exhibition "Congregation", in St Mary Magdalene, Paddington. The exhibition looked at, "the changing nature of sacred architecture in Britain through the presentation of 23 buildings designed in the past decade",[15][16][17][18]  Edwin Heathcote of the Financial Times reviewed this exhibition and said of the project "Most esoteric of all, yet also strangely sympathetic, is the Soulton Long Barrow, a neo-neolithic mound of stone and earth designed to store the cremated remains of... any religion or none".[19]

In June 2020 the Architecture Foundation included the monument in a lecture event as part of its 2020 100 Day Studio event.[20]

Commentators have described this barrow has been described as being part of a "Stone Age tradition being resurrected in Britain,"[21] with " [a]nother eight sites are planned across the country"[22]

The Architectural Review reviewed the monument in April 2020.[23]

Culture and cultural references

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Contemporary drama and performance

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"The Sanctuary Theatre" and the barrow seen in a performance by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain
"The Sanctuary Theatre" and the barrow seen in a performance by the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain

In 2020, partially as a response to the crisis in live performance[24] and theatre resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,[25] a hengeiform monument, called "The Sanctuary", an outdoor performance area was added in front of the barrow.[26][27][28][29][30]

This was inaugurated by the National Youth Theatre, with their first live in person performance[31] since the restrictions following the lockdown that was brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.[32] The play was a brand new work called "The Last Harvest".[33]

Literature and poetry

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The barrow has inspired writing, including a novella series by Katharine E. Smith, which begins with First Christmas.[34][35]

The poet Merlin Fulcher has also written work inspired by the barrow.[36]

Faith and religious activities

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Local parishes used this space for community nativity events during the COVID-19 restrictions.[37][38]

Soulton Standing Stones

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Soulton Standing Stone One
Soulton Standing Stone Two
Soulton Standing Stone Three
The three Soulton Standing Stones, erected in 2017

There is a sequence of standing stones, signaling the route to the barrow from Soulton Road.[39]

Three megalithic limestone standing stones are located on the access route to the barrow which were added in autumn 2017.[40] The stone for these monoliths, as with the barrow itself, came from Churchfield Quarry, Oundle, near Peterborough.

There is no deliberate alignment beyond way-marking for these standing stones.

Covid Stone

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In 2020, a standing stone, with an alignment to the setting sun on the winter solstice, was added to the ritual landscape to acknowledge the suffering of the families impacted by the Coronavirus Pandemic.[41][42][43] This was discussed in a podcast for Manchester Metropolitan University's BRIC-19 AHRC-funded research project looking at how British ritual-makers have responded to COVID-19.[44]

Modern Henge Monument

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In March 2020, plans were announced to build a modern henge monument close by the barrow.[45][46][47][48]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Second Neolithic burial mound completed at Soulton Long Barrow". 23 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Soulton Long Barrow". The Megalithic Portal. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Shropshire's History Advanced Search | Shropshire's History Advanced Search". Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  4. ^ It Took Years To Find The Right Place, retrieved 17 June 2019
  5. ^ Drew, Mark (7 September 2017). "Approved: Burial mound to be built in Shropshire for the first time in thousands of years". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Long barrow for Shropshire - Funeral Service Journal". www.fsj.co.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  7. ^ Yeomans, Emma. "Modern long barrow builders find a niche in burials market". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  8. ^ Prof Marie Louise Stig Sørensen discusses the Journey of the Barrow Build, retrieved 17 June 2019
  9. ^ Ashton, Timothy (2018). "Building a New Long Barrow" (PDF). Soulton Hall. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  10. ^ "Assemble member designs Shropshire burial mound entrance". Architects Journal. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  11. ^ www.stmem.com, Shropshire Tourism -. "Official Opening of Chamber One in the New Barrow -". www.soultonhall.co.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  12. ^ Wainwright, Oliver (18 March 2019). "Tomb with a view: why burial mounds are a better way to go". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  13. ^ "Phase two begins at Soulton Long Barrow". Whitchurch Herald. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  14. ^ "BBC One - Countryfile, Shropshire". BBC. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  15. ^ "Congregation | Architecture Foundation". www.architecturefoundation.org.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  16. ^ "Congregation: An exhibition of secular and sacred architecture - London Architecture Diary". city Architecture Diary. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Congregation". grandjunction.org.uk. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  18. ^ Searle, Adrian; Jones, Jonathan; Wainwright, Oliver; O’Hagan, Sean (2 January 2020). "Palette cleansers: our photography, art and architecture picks for 2020". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  19. ^ Heathcote, Edwin (2 February 2020). "In praise of new sacred buildings". Financial Times. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  20. ^ "100 Day Studio | Architecture Foundation". www.architecturefoundation.org.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Snapper captures stunning rainbow of star trails and Venus in night sky". Metro Newspaper UK. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  22. ^ Barrett, Helen (24 November 2020). "Modern death: new ways of paying tribute". www.ft.com. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
  23. ^ Harper, Phineas (19 April 2021). "Domes for the dead: Soulton Long Barrow by Sacred Stones and Greenstone Design". Architectural Review. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  24. ^ "Farming Today - 26/10/20 - The impact of game birds on the environment, a farm theatre and rural life for young people. - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  25. ^ Yeomans, Emma. "Modern long barrow builders find a niche in burials market". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  26. ^ "BBC One - Midlands Today". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  27. ^ editor, Chris Wiegand Stage (6 August 2020). "From an earth stage to a willow Globe: theatre goes al fresco in the UK". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 August 2020. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  28. ^ "Jeremy Vine - Planning Permission and Pantomimes - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  29. ^ "English Country House Hotel near Shrewsbury - Shropshire Accommodation". www.soultonhall.co.uk. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  30. ^ Parker, Simon (9 November 2020). "Britain by Bike: Touring England's fractious and lockdown-weary northwest". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  31. ^ "BBC One - Midlands Today, Evening News, 22/10/2020". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  32. ^ "BBC Radio Shropshire - Mid-morning on BBC Radio Shropshire, with Jim Hawkins - 23/10/2020". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  33. ^ "BBC Radio Shropshire - Mid-morning on BBC Radio Shropshire, with Jim Hawkins - 16/10/2020". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  34. ^ Smith, Katharine E. (25 November 2023). First Christmas: a novella (1st ed.). Heddon Publishing.
  35. ^ Neal, Toby (31 October 2023). "Christmas novella set in Shropshire". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  36. ^ Fulcher, Merlin (19 April 2021). "Soulton poems with an extract from Modern Air". Architectural Review. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  37. ^ "Radio Shropshire - Listen Live - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  38. ^ "Community Voices ¦ Nativity Unlocked: a Community Celebration of Christmas during Covid - BRIC-19". Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  39. ^ Uzzell, Jennifer (21 September 2018). "View of 'And Raise Me Up a Golden Barrow'". Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religion. 20: 67–82. doi:10.18792/jbasr.v20i0.28. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  40. ^ Pugh, James (26 September 2017). "Three limestone monoliths mark a path to Shropshire's first long barrow in 5,000 years". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  41. ^ Yeomans, Emma. "Modern long barrow builders find a niche in burials market". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  42. ^ "Standing stone to be raised at Soulton Long Barrow for Covid-19 victims". Whitchurch Herald. 30 July 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  43. ^ Bentley, Charlotte (7 August 2020). "Shropshire standing stone memorial built for Covid-19 victims and their families". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  44. ^ "Social Distance, Digital Congregation". feeds.transistor.fm. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  45. ^ Soulton Hall (6 March 2020). "Plans for a henge monument with standing stones at the Soulton Long Barrow" (PDF). Soulton Hall.
  46. ^ "Eric Smith and Clare Ashford - 11/03/2020 - BBC Sounds". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  47. ^ Bentley, Charlotte (11 March 2020). "Shrop-henge?: Plan for Bronze age-inspired monument in Shropshire". www.shropshirestar.com. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  48. ^ Prof Huffman and Tim talk about the new proposed henge monument, retrieved 20 March 2020
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