I have used some of the text from this page on the public-facing website I created for the exhibition, which can be seen here.
Ancient sites like stone circles and quoits are plentiful in Cornwall, but their purpose remains unknown. While we may speculate, the true significance of these monuments can never be fully deciphered. Some are believed to be burial chambers, while others may have served as ancient calendars or communal gathering places. Many were constructed to align precisely with the sun and moon (Jana, 2022).
According to Smith (2023), although Lanyon Quoit is one of the most well-known monuments in Cornwall, it is also one of the least authentic. After collapsing in a storm in 1815, it was incorrectly restored in the wrong position in 1824, with the capstone placed onto three shortened uprights instead of the original four (Smith, 2023). Though restored with the best intentions, the grandeur of Lanyon Quoit as it stood for millennia has been permanently diminished. With time, we have not only lost the knowledge and wisdom of the ancient builders but also a significant part of our heritage.
This loss of authenticity is what drew me to Lanyon Quoit specifically. While other monuments offer glimpses and potential answers to our questions about life in the Bronze Age, the way this dolmen was restored deprives us of such opportunities. Naturally, after 4000 years, it is inevitable that sites like this would not stand in their original state - it is a marvel they are still standing at all.
Although I wanted to explore some of the sites that Simon Marsden (The Marsden Archive, n.d.) and Barnaby Attwell (Attwell, 2024) photographed, such as Roche Rock, Mên-an-Tol, and Tintagel, I could not easily access these sites. This may be something I look into for future projects.
Due to its proximity to a road and ease of access, Lanyon Quoit is a common stop on the Neolithic tour around far west Cornwall. I wanted to use my infrared camera to capture the view in a way that most other people don't get to see; the infrared brought out the texture of the stones. The 720nm filter I used blocked out most visible light, only letting in wavelengths in the red end of the spectrum, which is why the sky appears a burnt orange. It was a mostly clear day with blue skies that looked dark in infrared, creating a strong contrast with the white grass in my images. However, as the clouds rolled in, even the faintest wisps created a haze in the sky.
My favourite image above is Figure 1, where the capstone looks precariously balanced and liable to fall at any moment, despite being sturdy since its restoration 200 years ago. I framed Figure 2 so the quoit acts as a portal or a window through which you can see the old engine house of Ding Dong Mine. Combining these two elements of Cornish history brings a sense of connection through time. I wonder what will remain of the mining landscape in 4000 years and whether people will have that same reverence when they visit the 20th-century ruins.
During the editing process, I used channel-swapping to make the colours appear more natural. However, the muted tones of the desaturated landscape create a sense of uneasy familiarity, as things are not quite as we would expect them to look. Upon reflection, I prefer the original versions without the channel-swapping. They look more alien and unearthly, emphasising our disconnect from the knowledge and culture of our ancestors. Unlike my Loss of Livelihood photos, where I aimed to foster a connection with the past, this set of images is meant to highlight our lack of understanding of what has been lost.
The Merry Maidens stone circle is steeped in legend: according to one tale,19 young women were petrified as punishment for dancing in a field on the Sabbath (Cornish Ancient Sites, 2019b). However, this story emerged long after the Neolithic stone circle's construction, leaving its true purpose uncertain. It is commonly theorised to have been used for ceremonies, with the 19 stones possibly relating to the 19-year lunar cycle.
I was amazed at the precise placement of the stones at the Merry Maidens. They are arranged by height, with the tallest stones towards the southwest and the shortest to the northeast, clearly following the incline of the field. The grass is worn in circles both outside and within the ring, where people have walked for millennia. I like to imagine some of the visitors danced alongside the Maidens (though perhaps not on a Sunday). It's a shame that the original purpose of the stone circle has been lost, but the folklore surrounding the site has given it a new meaning.
Marsden visited a similar site in eastern Cornwall: The Hurlers stone circles (The Marsden Archive, n.d.). His monochrome image, while featuring less of his signature halo effect, still conveys a solemn atmosphere, with the stones resembling carefully arranged gravestones beneath a hazy sky. Like Marsden, I took my stone circle photographs from a low angle to make the stones appear larger and more imposing, also incorporating the clouds into my images. However, instead of converting my photos to monochrome to emulate Marsden's technique, I set the infrared filter to approximately 590nm, resulting in brighter colours compared to the photos of Lanyon Quoit. This added richness to the grass that had previously been lacking, and when channel-swapped, created an image of maidens joyfully dancing together in a field of wheat.
While at the Merry Maidens, I met a lovely gentleman named Ian King, who was touring the southwest and visiting ancient monuments. We enjoyed getting to know each other and swapped stories and images of our previous excursions. He took a photo of me and joked that I was the 20th Merry Maiden. Later that day, I saw he had uploaded it to Instagram (King, 2024). It's amazing how a simple circle of stones in a field can bring people together.
References
Attwell, B. (2024) Welcome to St. Decay, BARNFLAKES. Available at: https://www.barnflakes.com/barndoor-books/welcome-to-st-decay (Accessed: 20 February 2024).
Cornish Ancient Sites (2019a) Lanyon Quoit, Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network. Available at: https://cornishancientsites.com/ancient-sites/lanyon-quoit/ (Accessed: 30 April 2024).
Cornish Ancient Sites (2019b) Merry Maidens Stone Circle, Cornish Ancient Sites Protection Network. Available at: https://cornishancientsites.com/ancient-sites/merry-maidens-stone-circle/ (Accessed: 30 April 2024).
Jana (2022) Stonehenge and the eerie allure of ancient stone circles, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220615-stonehenge-and-the-eerie-allure-of-ancient-stone-circles (Accessed: 30 April 2024).
King (2024) Ian King on Instagram: ‘Merry Maidens’, Instagram. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6qxeO2IZkp/ (Accessed: 07 May 2024).
The Marsden Archive (no date) The Marsden Archive. Available at: http://www.marsdenarchive.com/ (Accessed: 20 February 2024).
Smith (2023) The Essential Guide to Lanyon Quoit Neolithic Chambered Tomb, Explore Cornwall. Available at: https://explorecornwall.uk/attractions/lanyon-quoit/ (Accessed: 25 March 2024).
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