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 Head To Head The Modern Antiquarian Waulud's Bank Forum | Start a topic | Search |
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| On friday I made a long intended journey to Waulud's Bank in Luton and am extremely impressed. My basis knowledge of this extraordinary place comes from Dyer, who suggests "it belongs to the class of ritual sites similar to Durrington Walls and Marden in Wiltshire." It is stunning, on a rising landscape, obviously associated with the sacred source of the river Lea, equally obviously of enormous significance at least on a regional level. It's a pity that the ditch section where the bank is overgrown seems to have become Luton's main refuse dump. But neither that nor even the military prison style structure built to contain the concrete pipe that now guides the Lea out of the earth destroys the grandeur of this temple. The reedy areas of the river are still powerfully evocative and there is a strong sense of containedness within the site as a whole, perhaps enhanced by its heavily motorised and urbanised setting today. Three questions seem to arise: 1) Dyer says that part of the site was re-used in the iron age. Does anyone know how it was re-used? Ritually? Or was it residentially occupied? 2) Is the concrete structure mentioned earlier the first surfacing of the Lea? I walked around the streets, including Henge Way, in the broad direction from which the water seems to be flowing from but found nothing. 3) After the visit I did a Google search and found various articles about Marsh Farm where the bank is located. I had half-forgotten about these issues of urban decay and regeneration that were heavily in the news a few years ago and do not think I ever knew that Exodus Collective largely arose there. It seems clear that Exodus were (are?) both highly creative and socially focussed. I have been wondering, did they organise events at Waulud's Bank as well as in the warehouses I gather they have used? The cultural uses of our ancient sites are so important but I am wondering if I have missed out on something here? Did Exodus connect with this sublime neolithic party venue? Treeman Reply | with quote | Posted by Treeman 16th January 2005ce 06:28 |
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