Thread by @FarmersOfTheUK

I'm beginning tweeting at the #wintersolstice

As I just explained, we just finished building a new monument, #soultonlongbarrow, which revives a prehistoric practice of building long barrows, not seen for 5,500 years

These are the first images of the new chamber ever shared

Im going 2 explain more about what this is, and how it has been an important resource for our community in surprising ways in this challenging covid year, but for now, I just wanted to share a picture of the monument working with the #wintersolstice #sunset for the 1st time today

Now, I realise I need to expand aspects of the context for this happening.

Let's start around 5,500 years go, when the first farmers in the British Isles also found #architecture, which they do by building long barrows... Here's West Kennet in Wiltshire (📸 from resarch trips)

This culture of megalithic monument building carries on basically until the Romans arrive.. Some more examples, again feom resarch trips.

I think they are beautiful and really profound things: they are carrying ideas down 1000s of years.

Anthony Gormley has called these really ancient bits of art and building a "high five through time" and I kinda like that way of thinking about them.

Aaaanyway...

... For over 1000 years, nobody builds any of these things. Which is sad, but there are reasons we will not dwell on here.

That is until my friend @TimothyDaw (📸) , a farmer and then a steward of #Stonehenge is pressed into building a new long barrow on his #allcannings farm:

This is the long barrow in All Cannings, Wiltshire that @TimothyDaw and his community built.

Tim's project struck various nerves and his monument is a beautiful success.

(here is a drone video if it: )

The masons involved went on to found @SacredStonesLtd, and - to quicken the pase of this thread - we shoock hands (remember when that was allowed?!) on them building the next long barrow at Soulton in late 2015.

This is what the exterior of #SoultonLongBarrow looks like, we had help from @arch_cambridge to be respectful of the archeological heritage and the first builders' values as far as we could.

I like to think they might have a beer with us and explain where we went wrong...

Two years ago, in a break in building, @BBCCountryfile visted with Matt and Ellie to report on the barrow, and some other bits of life @SoultonHall

Tomorrow, we are (safely - it is all ticketed and very carefully managed, *do not* attend with no tickets) making the #WinterSolstice at the barrow for the first time.

Here is a sneaky look at how that looks from a few weeks ago (we were still building then)

There are plans to live stream tomorrow's #wintersolstice #sunset from the barrow's Facebook page however.

🤞It is not overcast. Here is the link:

facebook.com/SacredStonesSo…

Tomorrow, this thread on the barrow and the solstice and the art it has set in motion will continue, with updates on the activities for the #wintersolstice.

But this is probably enough for today. Goodnight 🙂

Good morning.

There has been a question about the other solstice alignment (

https://twitter.com/pbl1972/status/1340899445911683072?s=19

)

Here is a video of how that looks (arround 0440 in the morning on midsummer's day)

If you want to get into the ideas a bit more my college, @lmhoxford, let me publish this essay about it when we were getting started:

soultonhall.co.uk/files/uploads/…

This is true. Happy Solstice y'all.

https://twitter.com/Wyefarm/status/1340927954537295873?s=19

Here is the cap stone going on a three days ago

I'm going to take this thread in the direction of the arts and what the farm @SoultonHall has had going on. Today is a bit urgent with the solstice, but meantime you can check this thread for general background, but i will not turn to 2 specific works

https://twitter.com/SoultonHall/status/1326236408131031040?s=19

To inaugurate the barrow, two art works were installed yesterday: one a stained glass window by Annette Jackson, the other a luimia work by New York based George Stadnik

Here is George's work, the video does not do it justice.

Here is a link to his website: photonlightguitars.com

... And here is Annette Jackson's #stainedglass window for #soultonlongbarrow, installed yesterday - - and what a dramatic experience it gave thise few who saw it working as designed for the first time in the #wintersolstice #sunset

As luck would have it, we completed this barrow just in time foe the #wintersolstice, but also to meet thr #GreatConjunction / #SaturnJupiterConjunction - not seen for 800 years, and possibly thr Christmas star, here it is photographed @SoultonHall last night. #astrophotography

Which brings me to a point where i can share some #astrophotography pictures of the barrow by my friend Andrew Fusek Peters (@2peters)

Here is the barrow with some #startrails

Andrew also took this incredible image of the barrow (copyright @2peters /Andrew Fusek Peters)

I really like this picture.

#astrophotography #MilkyWay #soultonlongbarrow

For those asking, there is more information and videos etc here:

soultonhall.co.uk/page/322/new-b… or get in touch with @SacredStonesLtd

For those asking, the most recent video tour of the barrow is here, its on the barrow's Facebook page, which has documented the whole project feom the beginning:

facebook.com/SacredStonesSo…

Here is a better video of the #lumina artwork by George Stadnik.

Ok. So the sunset was essentially uninspiring today (it was live streaminged here: facebook.com/SacredStonesSo…) but in the next tweet i will show you a bit of a tour of the sapce from tonight's event.

(Have been mad busy all afternoon).

.. Ok, so here is a tour of #soultonlongbarrow this evening just after the families/community/guests had been to safely vist.

It is better in person, but hopefully this answers some questions for those asking for an update tour.

That's probably enough on the barrow...

(feel free to ask questions on here or to @SacredStonesLtd)

📸 The fires in the forecourt of #soultonlongbarrow after it's first #wintersolstice.

Tomorrow, Id like to talk through #onfarmculture and what was done here this summer...

Tomorrow, I want to talk about responsibility we all have to try and #saveculture during the covid emergency, and something we did @SoultonHall this summer to play our part... #onfarmculture

*tldr: we built an emergency amphitheatre*

📸@helenmurraypix/@NYTofGB

So..

..you might have noticed that the covid situation has had a terrible, *TERRIBLE* effect on culture happening/being accessed

Its a _major_ part of our economy, and part of the dignity and identity of those that work in it

But some things habe happened..

📸@helenmurraypix

Today, I want to tell you about how we built an emergency #amphitheatre during the lockdown (the first one 😕), and how doing this enabled >1, 400 people to experience a play or a concert and got a couple of other farmers/land based business to lean in and help too #signalfires

Here is a conversation with @theJeremyVine when this was all getting going

.. And here is, for us, a really heartening image..

It shows one of the very first plays put on anywhere in the country, as soon as it was safe and legal #lockdown1

1000 people watched #shakespeare's #2gentsofverona staged @BTSFacsimile

People cried; in a good way.

.. @DrDavidGK from @bbcmtd kindly covered this as it was getting going.

(If I look wretched in this footage, it is because i had broken my leg (badly) and only just been discharged from hospital surgery, and was on a lot of pain medication)

I realise I have not shown you the new amphitheatre yet!!!

Here it is.

It is kinda beautiful I think, even when its not being used.

Contra press reports, we did think grass would take longer than 3 weeks to establish on there 😉🤦🏼

(we had contingencies)

Today I'm going to run through the plays that were put on, giving a shout out to the amazing people who threw together a compeling arts programme in, like, 9 weeks (!) in a pandemic(!), and also induce what other farmers are doing for #onfarmculture

Got things to do, for now I am going to leave with Queen Boudica chanting on the lawn.

Obviously.

(@HHLiveOnStage /@birminghamstage)

.. Ok, so, going through the highlights of the emergency plays (!) in turn

First was @BTSFacsimile with "Two Gentlemen of Verona" - not a play often staged, I learn: 1 of #shakespeare's first plays (he got *a lot* better 🙃).

It was beautiful & sorely needed in C-19 horrors

I feel i should say at this point that acting/drama/the arts are emphatically not my thing

Context -- my school acting career🎭 was brief and *underwhelming*:

1️⃣the snowflake in the nativity

2️⃣The forth wall of Jericho

3️⃣38th thief in "Alibaba and the 40 Thieves"

=THE END=

Next up was a version of #midsummernightsdream (rehearsed on zoom), put on by Naomi Coleman (@KESBham drama)

specially adapted for children, who were invited to attend dressed as fairies 🧚 to make up for cutting the mechanicals for #SocialDistancing reasons 🎥from rehearsals

"BUT WHAT HAS THIS GOT TO DO WITH FARMING?"

Quite a lot, i think. Firstly, there is an emergency going on and land based business can lean in and help. And if they can, they should.

Secondly, it is in the industry's name: agri-CULTURE, we have wider responsibilies in our sector

Aaaanyway..

Next #Emergencyplay..

This was @HHLiveOnStage /@birminghamstage with #horriblehistories

By this stage in the pandemic Henry VIII gangsta wrapping was what we were all really actually _needed_

(confident this is a sentence never before writen) ~450 safely attended

... We are not done yet, so settle in, folks...

... It wasn't only zoom and Netflix this summer, if you sought things out/made them happen...

...the next bit of #emergencytheatre (!) brought @SuddenImpulseTC
to Soulton with "Neville's Island".

A contemporary comedy, but it deals also with darker themes like bullying. It was wildly punishing on the actors who get regularly covered in iced water 🥶

..following on from this #AliceinLockdown was brought here by @OutdoorPlaysUK.

Specially written to take account of the mad world we are actually living in right now, Wonderland felt comparatively sane.

It was excellent and enjoyed by all.

A fair challenge at this point is: shouldn't you have been on a combine harvester druring this?!?!

Well, yes, fair.

And normally, absolutely.

Unfortunately, i broke my leg in July, which benched be until planting time.

It was a horrible break, in 2 places.

Trigger warning.

Im going to pause this thread now to attend my (hopefully final) consultation on this.

But I have the chance to publicly thank the amazing staff of @sathNHS and @RJAH_NHS for their amazing care in front of 45k people, and I want to take it.

They are actual angels.

I also need to acknowledge my absolutely amazing family for their support. It was incredible.

.. We also managed to get a little live music in...

Here is Gerry Colvin ('popular folk legend') & friends doing what i believe has been thier only live in person gig of the year

These are people's livelihoods and identities

Great to see them back on thier feet, entertaining

Im now coming to an especial highlight... A specifically written play by the @NYTofGB: one of the only (if not the only) in person performances of new work by a national company in the world since this all started. See it in the last third of this video: