Chasing Light and Shadow: Don McCullin's Poignant Pilgrimage to Britain's Ancient Monuments

Chasing Light and Shadow: Don McCullin's Poignant Pilgrimage to Britain's Ancient Monuments - The Allure of Standing Stones

There's something mysteriously alluring about standing stones. These megalithic structures, built from large rocks set vertically in the ground, have captured people's imaginations for millennia. Constructed by ancient cultures all over the world, from North America to Africa to Europe, they continue to entrance visitors today.

For acclaimed war photographer Don McCullin, these ancient monoliths hold a special fascination. Now in his 80s, McCullin has turned his lens away from the battlefields to focus on Britain's ancient landscapes. In particular, he felt drawn to photograph its iconic standing stones.

His pilgrimage brought him to many of the most renowned Neolithic and Bronze Age sites across England and Wales. Making multiple trips over several years, he patiently waited in darkness for the perfect conditions to photograph these mythic landmarks. McCullin was determined to capture both their majesty and mystery.

The results are collected in the recently published book Southern Frontiers: Britain's Ancient Landscapes through the Lens of Don McCullin. They reveal these ancient stones in gorgeous, brooding detail. The monochromatic images highlight every crag and furrow in the weathered rocks, which emerge from moody skies. You can almost feel the weight of centuries pulsing from them.

For McCullin, only black-and-white photography could do justice to these primordial giants. As he explained, "I wanted to show them as they might have looked to the ancients, who erected them thousands of years before the invention of color film."

By eliminating color, he focuses attention directly on "the monumentality of the stones." Against darkening clouds or rising mists, they feel absolutely timeless. The elemental power of the stones is tangible.

Through his lens, we share a sense of connection with past eras spanning back before recorded history. That seems to be a core part of the allure. Standing before these towering megaliths, one can't help but wonder about the people who raised them. What inspired them? What did these monuments mean to their builders? What ceremonies and rituals unfolded in their shadows?

Their inscrutability and sheer endurance over millennia draws us in. We know so little, yet they catalyze wonder and imagination about our shared human past. They represent an undeniable human urge to build things greater than ourselves. An urge that persists through the ages. What drives it may forever elude us, but the urge remains no less real.

Chasing Light and Shadow: Don McCullin's Poignant Pilgrimage to Britain's Ancient Monuments - Messages Etched in Stone

The ancient standing stones of Britain bear no words, yet they speak volumes all the same. While their builders left behind no written records, the monuments themselves convey messages etched in stone rather than ink. We can read meaning in their material, construction, placement and alignment if we approach them with an open mind.

Many megaliths incorporate specific types of rock that carried ritual significance for their Neolithic creators. The famous bluestones of Stonehenge, for instance, were hauled all the way from the Preseli Hills over 150 miles away in Wales. Archaeologists believe this non-local material was chosen purposefully for its reputed healing and magical properties. The bluestones were believed to embody ancestral spirits and channel their power.

The intricate architecture of sites like Stonehenge also represents a sophisticated symbolic language. The concentric rings of stone direct attention inward to the circles' center, aligning this focal point with the heavens. The stones trace journeys of the sun, with specialized stones marking solstices and equinoxes when the sun reaches its northern and southern extremes. This connects the earthly realm with cosmic cycles of death and rebirth.

Orientation likewise reflects meaning. Many sites align with cardinal directions, equinox sunrise or midwinter sunset. The Avenue at Avebury stretches more than a mile to connect its stone circles with the river Avon, incorporating water's regenerative symbolism. Sites were integrated into a mythic landscape, merging earth and sky to channel supernatural forces.

While standing stones now stand silent, people once congregated around them to participate in rituals of dance, music, chanting, ancestor worship andanimal sacrifice. accepted that human sacrifice occurred as well, particularly of high-status individuals like tribal leadersThis communal experience united participants into a cohesive society and reaffirmed their collective identity. Through these gatherings, the monuments fulfilled their purpose.

Chasing Light and Shadow: Don McCullin's Poignant Pilgrimage to Britain's Ancient Monuments - Sunrise at Stonehenge

Among the ancient monuments that Don McCullin photographed, none is more iconic than Stonehenge. This mysterious stone circle sits on the Salisbury Plain, dating back approximately 5,000 years. For McCullin, capturing Stonehenge at sunrise was a priority. As he explained, “I wanted to photograph the stones with first light behind them, when they glow golden against a dark blue dawn sky.”

Arriving in darkness, he would set up his equipment and wait patiently for daybreak. His perseverance often required repeated attempts, as English weather and seasonal timing conspired against him. On one midwinter morning, he stood watch all night in below-freezing temperatures. As the horizon finally brightened, illumination revealed a magical scene cloaked in snow.

McCullin is far from alone in his fascination with Stonehenge at sunrise. This celestial alignment draws crowds of solstice revelers each summer, along with Druids and Neo-Pagans celebrating Litha. Winter solstice attracts a more solemn gathering, as people connect with the symbolic rebirth brought by increasing daylight. Experiencing sunrise from inside the ancient stone circle can feel transcendent.

I'll never forget my own predawn expedition to Stonehenge one June solstice. Joining a procession of dreamers, mystics and curiosity seekers, we hiked towards faint music echoing ahead. Crossing a misty field, the massive stones suddenly loomed out of the darkness. Their chiselled surfaces were illuminated by a ring of flickering candles left at their base throughout the night.

As the sky lightened, the crowd fell silent in collective anticipation. When the sun finally peeked above the ridge, its rays spotlighted the Heel Stone aligned perfectly with summer solstice sunrise. Cheers broke out as the first slender beam spotlighted the altar stone between the towering trilithons. It felt like witnessing an ancient rite.

Chasing Light and Shadow: Don McCullin's Poignant Pilgrimage to Britain's Ancient Monuments - Inside the Inner Circle

Gaining access inside the inner stone circle at Stonehenge is an opportunity afforded to few. Entry is strictly regulated for conservation purposes, with only small groups allowed beyond the rope barricades that keep most visitors at a distance. Those granted access describe an intensely personal, almost mystical encounter with the Neolithic monument from within its heart.

Walking amongst the towering sarsen stones, you gain an entirely new perspective and appreciation for their scale and ancient craftsmanship. Looking up at the lintels capping the trilithons from near their base highlights the incredible skill required to raise and balance these 50-ton monoliths atop vertically embedded stones. Your neck will crane staring upward, giving you a sense of how these giants dwarfed ancient onlookers. Intricate mortise and tenon joints locked the lintels in place, demonstrating advanced woodworking expertise adapted to stone.

Up close, you can truly examine the megaliths and decode their patterning. Some bear enigmatic carvings, like the infamous dagger and axehead shapes. One stone reveals the faint outline of a Bronze Age archer. Running your fingers along their cool, rugged surfaces, you can almost feel the aura of ceremonies past. Avatar-like characters come to life in your mind's eye, enacting inscrutable rituals.

From inside the circle, the Heel Stone and Slaughter Stone gain new significance seen between the pillars. These align with summer and winter solstice, creating a calendar in stone. You comprehend how solar and lunar light and shadow interplayed with the circle's geometry, incredibly sophisticated astronomical understanding for Neolithic people. Standing in the center, you become the axis between earth and sky.

The acoustic oddities of the inner circle also strike you. Whispered voices carry strangely, amplified across the sarsens while muted outside. It's easy to envision chanting or drumming intensifying within the confines of stone. You can practically hear ancestral spirits murmured on the wind.

Chasing Light and Shadow: Don McCullin's Poignant Pilgrimage to Britain's Ancient Monuments - Avebury's Massive Henge

Beyond Stonehenge, numerous lesser-known yet equally impressive stone circles dot Britain’s Neolithic landscape. The village of Avebury in Wiltshire hosts one of the most grand. Enclosing over 28 acres, Avebury’s massive henge dwarfs its more famous cousin. Constructed and expanded over centuries from 2800-2200 BC, the Avebury complex sprawls across a mile in diameter. Its perimeter encompassed an entire existing village, which was deliberately demolished during building.

Avebury originally contained an estimated 154 standing stones arranged in two circles, many over 20 feet tall. Sadly only 27 survive today, demolished by zealous Christians or plundered in later centuries for building projects. The remains still form the largest stone circle in the world. Surrounding the central circles, a towering earthen embankment measuring 30 feet high further demarcates the sacred precinct.

This impressive scale was no accident. Avebury’s builders conceived an outsized vision designed to inspire awe and humility. As the largest prehistoric stone circle in Europe, it necessitated immense communal effort to construct. Moving and placing massive sarsen stones, some weighing over 60 tons, was a remarkable feat of Neolithic engineering. The undertaking would have unified disparate communities in a shared spiritual purpose.

Avebury’s massive dimensions reflect its importance as a cultural and economic center during Britain’s Neolithic period. Archaeologists have unearthed evidence of feasting and other rituals occurring here on a lavish scale. Items like axes, daggers, arrowheads, jewelry and pottery excavated nearby signify Avebury’s prominence. Trade and production of both practical and ceremonial objects thrived alongside ceremony and celebration.

To experience Avebury’s majesty, a slow meandering walk around the periphery is ideal. Pacing lets you appreciate changes in perspective. Nearby Silbury Hill, Europe’s largest manmade mound, provides a perfect vista. Avebury’s concentric rings become visible from above, the massive stones reduced to tiny gray pebbles against vivid green fields. Approaching closer, their imposing size impresses anew. The openness within the outer circle contrasts with the dense, cloistered feeling in the tightknit interior ring. Avebury invites both intimate and awe-inspiring experiences.

Chasing Light and Shadow: Don McCullin's Poignant Pilgrimage to Britain's Ancient Monuments - Mysterious Silbury Hill

Rising from the fields between Avebury and Stonehenge, the enigmatic mound of Silbury Hill stands as the tallest prehistoric human-made structure in Europe. This perfectly rounded chalk hill reaches 130 feet tall and covers 5 acres of land. Estimated to contain over 248,000 cubic meters of material, its construction would have required around 18 million man-hours of labor. Yet despite intensive scientific study over centuries, archaeologists remain uncertain exactly why and when it was built, and how its precise shape was achieved.

The mystery captivates because it seems so incongruous with the Neolithic era. Why would ancient farmers devote such a staggering investment of time and labor to build what is essentially a giant dirt pile? We can only speculate based on tantalizing clues and its evident alignment and intervisibility with sites like Avebury, Stonehenge and West Kennet Long Barrow. Clearly it held profound meaning and purpose for its creators.

Standing atop Silbury Hill today, you gain scintillating views across the ancient Wessex landscape. Visually connecting you to the center of Avebury and distant Stonehenge, Silbury appears intricately woven into a complex ritual topography. Moving around it, your perspective shifts with every angle. It’s little wonder archaeologists believe rituals occurred at varying elevations. No matter where you stand, it incites a sense of wonder.

Excavations discovered that the current hill hides earlier, smaller mounds within. Traces of antler picks and ox bones indicate builders first used gravel from nearby trenches around 2400 BC. Later phases saw perfectly layered chalk bricks and clay hearting added to enlarge its size through at least the Roman era. We can envision generations coming together seasonally over many lifetimes, drawn by purposeful intent we struggle to grasp.

Some posit Silbury Hill was conceived as a symbolic representation of a mother goddess, with its regeneration of life every spring. Others hypothesize it enabled rituals associated with cycles of death and rebirth, or ancestor worship and guidance from those passed. What’s certain is the shared passion and faith that dutifully brought ancient Britons here, season upon season, generation upon generation, meticulously piling basketful upon basketful of dirt to shape sacredness rising from the earth.

Chasing Light and Shadow: Don McCullin's Poignant Pilgrimage to Britain's Ancient Monuments - The Rollright Stones' Eerie Aura

Perched on the border between Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, the enigmatic Rollright Stones have intrigued visitors for centuries with their palpable aura of ancient mystery. Three distinct elements comprise the Rollright Stones complex: the King's Men stone circle, the King Stone, and the Whispering Knights dolmen. Legends and lore enshroud this Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age monument imbuing it with a certain eeriness.

The tall monoliths of the King's Men form a majestic 100-foot circle atop a scenic hill. Local legend tells that these standing stones are a petrified king and his knights, turned to stone by a witch when the king refused to surrender his kingdom. On your walk up to the circle, see if you can pick out the king among his knights in this gray stone army gazing over the countryside! The encircling stones are believed to represent the king's allies rendered immobile in an attempt to save him.

At over seven feet, the King Stone stands apart from the circle, flanked by a group of attendant stones. Myth claims this monolith represents the king himself, his cap still visible in the tapered top. Visitors often attempt to glimpse his face within the weathered contours. See if its stony visage speaks to you! Legend decrees that as long as the king stands, England will never fall.

Down an eerie, tunnel-like lane clumped with trees and overgrowth hides the third part of the Rollright Stones—the Whispering Knights. These standing stones are the remains of a Neolithic burial chamber, the rest having long since collapsed. Their dolmen shape resembles a portal to the past, and they do seem to whisper if you listen closely...Local belief holds that the Knights are plotting for revenge, awaiting the day they can complete their circle and break the witch's spell to restore the king.

Chasing Light and Shadow: Don McCullin's Poignant Pilgrimage to Britain's Ancient Monuments - Brooding Skies over Iron Age Hill Forts

Among the ancient sites that McCullin's lens lovingly caresses, brooding hilltop fortresses signal a moodier era of unrest. Scattered across Britain's countryside, their crumbling ramparts and ditches reveal an Iron Age people made wary by conflict and upheaval. Though abandoned long ago, their aura of darkened history remains palpable.

Dotting ridgelines and craggy bluffs, these atmospheric citadels sparked McCullin's photographic imagination. "I found the looming shapes of Iron Age forts set against gloomy winter skies irresistible subjects," he confessed. Approaching them, you sense an ominous gravity as their battlements come into view. Their precarious perches and imposing structure contrasts starkly with the serenity of Stonehenge or Avebury. Here, refuge and defense defined daily architecture rather than celestial mysteries and magic.

The hill fort photographed most evocatively by McCullin broods over Salisbury Plain near Stonehenge. Known as Old Sarum, its double-walled fortifications crown a windswept rise reaching 500 feet. Originally Iron Age, it remained a strategically important stronghold for Romans and Normans into medieval times. Walking its defending banks today, you'll traverse over 5,000 years of martial history.

Climbing Old Sarum requires slow circumnavigation on narrow, overgrown footpaths. As you gain altitude, its brooding aspect intensifies. The deteriorating outer ramparts resemble great dams restraining some dark force within. Approaching the inner walls, the light dimmed by landscape and centuries of conflict. A damp chill seeps into your bones - whether from climate or imagined history isn't clear.

Finally cresting the summit, you behold the deserted grounds protected with such ferocity and desperation for millennia. The remains of stone foundations barely pierce the green turf; it seems impossible these faint traces could withstand an onslaught. Yet withstand they did, again and again, as generations lived and died by the sword. The clouds overhead hang low and ominous, much as they must have on days when sentries stared anxiously across the horizon. You can easily picture those tense scenes playing out, shuttered behind stout timber gates and high stone walls.