Seahenge
On a very hot and warmly breezy Saturday evening Dan and I decided, on our way back to our guesthouse, to wander down the Coast Road at Holme-next-the-Sea, to see if we could find what remained of Seahenge or, more precisely, Holme II.
To do that, we had to park up in a layby and wander up a very dusty track across a golf course to the sea and then wander along an equally sandy beach until we found something that looked suitably Bronze Age, bearing in mind that we had no compass - only our highly tuned in psychic frequencies that hopefully would help us, since many of the locals are also at a loss to know the exact location of the site (and there are no signs telling you where to find it, since those who are in the know want to keep what's left of it preserved as long as possible, maybe aware it could fall prey to vandalism?)
Anyway, after at least 20 very hot and dusty minutes of wandering around like two lost travellers in the desert, we came across a big space that looked suitably interesting and we could feel the positive energy coming from within. Dan then "saw" the spirit of the High Priest, who was the guardian of this space. Not noticing much else in particular and, acknowledging the existence of the High Priest, we decided we'd have to "call it a day" and began to wander away from the site. It was then that I noticed something that looked like a stone, me trailing behind as Dan was marching ahead. I called him and we made back to the site of the "stone". "Is this wood?" I asked. It certainly looked like petrified/fossilised wood and Dan prodded it, yes it was! We realised we had found Holme II! There's not that much left of it now, its secrets now exposed giving way to the tide and somewhat eroded or washed away. However, evidence of early Bronze Age timber tracks, the wooden centrepiece (originally 2 upturned tree trunks, one washed away early last year) and part of a circle of sad stumps. We thanked the High Priest for showing us the secrets, for he said that only "the chosen" will find what he guards.
Seahenge was discovered in 1998 after a particularly bad spell of weather washed the sand and silt away. It was only visible at low tide and had been hidden away, preserved for what turned out to be 4050 years after ring-dating the wood. The whole henge of 56 (including centre tree trunk) was removed and taken to the Fens around Peterborough for preserving and dating and will be on exhibition in King's Lynn some time next year, after which it is planned to perhaps return it to the sea, where it belongs, and I do think this is the rightful thing to do. It dates to 2050 BC.
Holme II was discovered a year or two later and is infact around 300 years older, being early Bronze Age. There were originally 2 central upturned trunks within the circle of split trunks (bark facing outwards) under which lay a flat barrow, similar to the Nordic ones and Bronze Age artefacts at both locations have been discovered as the silt is washed away, including the timber tracks which seem to link the two sites. Holme I was 7m x 6m but Holme II is a lot bigger but not as well known, probably becuase Holme I was discovered first and was widely written about! As Holme II is still in-situ and lies only 100 metres east of Holme I, it is likely that they were both used in conjunction and were in fact one huge Bronze Age site for rituals (and maybe sacrifices, who knows?).
I can't get over my visit, it was incredible, especially as I realise we walked right past the site of Holme I without knowing it (as there was very little evidence there had been anything there at all, from what I can recall from Saturday. It just looked like a damp and muddy area of the beach, this being on the Wash and ancient fen land).
I can't wait to paint my interpretations of what they looked/look like. I think the pictures would sell really well and I'm not aware that anyone has painted an interpretation of the two sites together, as they may have once looked.
Catherine.
To do that, we had to park up in a layby and wander up a very dusty track across a golf course to the sea and then wander along an equally sandy beach until we found something that looked suitably Bronze Age, bearing in mind that we had no compass - only our highly tuned in psychic frequencies that hopefully would help us, since many of the locals are also at a loss to know the exact location of the site (and there are no signs telling you where to find it, since those who are in the know want to keep what's left of it preserved as long as possible, maybe aware it could fall prey to vandalism?)
Anyway, after at least 20 very hot and dusty minutes of wandering around like two lost travellers in the desert, we came across a big space that looked suitably interesting and we could feel the positive energy coming from within. Dan then "saw" the spirit of the High Priest, who was the guardian of this space. Not noticing much else in particular and, acknowledging the existence of the High Priest, we decided we'd have to "call it a day" and began to wander away from the site. It was then that I noticed something that looked like a stone, me trailing behind as Dan was marching ahead. I called him and we made back to the site of the "stone". "Is this wood?" I asked. It certainly looked like petrified/fossilised wood and Dan prodded it, yes it was! We realised we had found Holme II! There's not that much left of it now, its secrets now exposed giving way to the tide and somewhat eroded or washed away. However, evidence of early Bronze Age timber tracks, the wooden centrepiece (originally 2 upturned tree trunks, one washed away early last year) and part of a circle of sad stumps. We thanked the High Priest for showing us the secrets, for he said that only "the chosen" will find what he guards.
Seahenge was discovered in 1998 after a particularly bad spell of weather washed the sand and silt away. It was only visible at low tide and had been hidden away, preserved for what turned out to be 4050 years after ring-dating the wood. The whole henge of 56 (including centre tree trunk) was removed and taken to the Fens around Peterborough for preserving and dating and will be on exhibition in King's Lynn some time next year, after which it is planned to perhaps return it to the sea, where it belongs, and I do think this is the rightful thing to do. It dates to 2050 BC.
Holme II was discovered a year or two later and is infact around 300 years older, being early Bronze Age. There were originally 2 central upturned trunks within the circle of split trunks (bark facing outwards) under which lay a flat barrow, similar to the Nordic ones and Bronze Age artefacts at both locations have been discovered as the silt is washed away, including the timber tracks which seem to link the two sites. Holme I was 7m x 6m but Holme II is a lot bigger but not as well known, probably becuase Holme I was discovered first and was widely written about! As Holme II is still in-situ and lies only 100 metres east of Holme I, it is likely that they were both used in conjunction and were in fact one huge Bronze Age site for rituals (and maybe sacrifices, who knows?).
I can't get over my visit, it was incredible, especially as I realise we walked right past the site of Holme I without knowing it (as there was very little evidence there had been anything there at all, from what I can recall from Saturday. It just looked like a damp and muddy area of the beach, this being on the Wash and ancient fen land).
I can't wait to paint my interpretations of what they looked/look like. I think the pictures would sell really well and I'm not aware that anyone has painted an interpretation of the two sites together, as they may have once looked.
Catherine.