Soulton Long Barrow

12/01/2026

It's Plough Monday, some thoughts written on Plough Sunday:

https://soultonhall.co.uk/2026/plough-sunday-protecting-the-soul-ton/

06/01/2026

We have been reflecting on the UK release of the film Hamnet and the profound, though painful, way it explores the anatomy of grief. It is a "needful" piece of art, specifically for how it captures the moment words fail even Shakespeare, and the landscape must take over the task of remembering.

As noted in this reflection from Soulton Hall:

"The ancient Forest of Arden trees Agnes frequents are in real senses the woods at Soulton... In the film, as at the Soulton Barrow, we see the need for this liminal grounding. These spaces don’t ask the bereaved to 'move on'; they simply offer a vast, ancient context for human pain."

In the film, Agnes Shakespeare seeks out the "Greenwood" because the soil is steady when her world is not.

We see that same need here at the Barrow. It is a place where the living can stand on the threshold of the gone, supported by the same earth and "Forest of Arden" heritage that offered sanctuary five centuries ago.

Nature does not remove the pain, but it provides a silence that is respectful and a soil that is steady.

With the UK release of "HAMNET" this week, we are reminded of a staggering truth: there is a level of grief that even the world’s greatest writer could not capture.

The film follows Agnes Shakespeare from the suffocating stillness of a Stratford bedroom into the garden and the woods—a world that has violently changed shape.

Here, the "soil" is a protagonist. It is the earth Agnes heals with, and the earth that receives her son.

When words fail even for the Shakespeares, the landscape becomes the only anchor heavy enough to hold a grief of this magnitude. At Soulton, this resonance is deeply felt and lived. The ancient Forest of Arden trees Agnes frequents are in real senses the woods at Soulton, which served as the inspiration for the sanctuary in As You Like It.

In the film, as at the Soulton Barrow, we see the need for this liminal grounding.

These spaces don’t ask the bereaved to "move on"; they simply offer a vast, ancient context for human pain.

It is "under the Green Wood Tree" that the broken-hearted have always gone to find their footing again: a place where the seasons turn and the soil remains steady, even when our own world has stopped.

Blog: https://soultonhall.co.uk/2026/the-great-globe-itself-nature-as-witness-a-reflection-on-the-uk-release-of-hamnet/

04/01/2026

Soulton Long Barrow is opening its sacred spaces to participants for The Turning Year, an immersive seasonal programme designed to guide individuals into deeper relationship with the cycles of nature, the land, and their own creative and spiritual expression.

Led by author, celebrant, and earth-based practitioner Merryn Tenalach, The Turning Year offers a unique combination of art-making, ceremonial practice, and mindful immersion in the landscape of the Long Barrow. Each session invites participants to witness and honour the rhythm of the seasons, reconnect with the earth’s cycles, and create personal artworks that emerge through intuitive practice.

“The Turning Year is about more than seasonal observation,” says Merryn Tenalach. “It’s an invitation to enter a dialogue with the land, to notice the quiet currents of change, and to allow creativity and ceremony to guide us into presence and deeper understanding of our own cycles.”

The programme is designed for all levels of experience. Participants are encouraged to engage with the barrow, the surrounding landscapes, and the waters nearby, finding inspiration in the interplay of light, weather, and seasonal shifts. Attendees bring along their own art materials and feel supported to explore their own unique modes of expression, whether through painting, drawing, movement, writing or sound.

The sessions take place in the reflective atmosphere of Soulton Long Barrow, combining the meditative power of landscape with the grounding force of ritual, offering a space to pause, reflect, and grow.

If you’d like to join the year-long programme, drop Merryn an email on merryn@merryntenalach.com

04/01/2026

It’s snowing heavily! Our Guardian is at the barrow to welcome intrepid visitors… If you want to visit please take care.

02/01/2026

Merryn is holding a beautiful year-long gathering called 'The Turning Year' here at Soulton Long Barrow. If you are interested, or you know someone who will be, send them in her direction. You can read more on her website https://www.merryntenalach.com/merrynevents or email her merryn@merryntenalach.com

02/01/2026

Happy New Year to all our devoted followers!

Our public open days will continue to be held on the first Sunday of each month (10am until 1pm).

The first open day will be this Sunday the 4th.

31/12/2025

As the year turns, we are thinking of everyone in our community.

​If the last year was a difficult one for you, we hope the next brings a sense of peace and a steadier path ahead. For everyone, we wish you a year of balance, connection, and quiet hope.

​Thank you for being part of the story here. Wishing you a gentle and harmonious New Year.

31/12/2025

It may be of interest to our community that the cultural legacies connected to Soulton, which are the subject of ongoing and important research, have received significant national press coverage today.

The work of James Wenn and James Syrett of Byrga Geniht—research that Soulton Hall has been a patron to—is currently being featured in nearly 250 newspapers across the UK and Ireland. Their investigation into "forgotten meanings" and the geometry of "Harmony" has captured the attention of titles ranging from The Independent to The Belfast Telegraph.

A Universal Story While Soulton provides a significant "Tudor moment" in this narrative, it is important to note that this is a vast area of research that was well underway before the work at Soulton began. The discovery identifies a shared cultural language that spans:

Classical Antiquity: Reaching back to the geometry of the Platonic universe.

Saxon Britain: Tracing the "Garnet Code" from early jewelry to the "Rhenish helm" roofs of our oldest churches.

The Middle Ages: Decoding the sacred volumes of the Coronation Pavement at Westminster Abbey.

A Global Reach: Following these threads across Europe and eventually into the New World.

This pursuit of "Harmony" through specific geometric forms—most notably the rhombic dodecahedron—was a cornerstone of Western culture for nearly two millennia. It was a massive part of our shared heritage until it began to fade from collective memory around the time of the First World War.

You can read more about these findings in the national coverage here such as in:

👉 The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/houses-of-parliament-westminster-abbey-old-bailey-oxford-greek-b2892558.html

👉 The Evening Standard:
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/environment/houses-of-parliament-westminster-abbey-old-bailey-king-oxford-b1264473.html

The key is a crystal in the shape of a rhombic dodecahedron.

22/12/2025

Tickets have just been released for our annual Macmillan Bluebell Charity Walk on Sunday, 26th April, and we wanted our Soulton Long Barrow community to be the first to know!

This event is a true highlight of the spring, and as many of you know, it is an annual sell-out.

There is a profound sense of peace in the woods as the "Sapphire Queen" of the flowers carpets the ground in a sea of violet-blue. It is a landscape that feels timeless—and for good reason. These very woods served as the "Forest of Arden" for William Shakespeare’s As You Like It. The Bard drew his inspiration from Thomas Lodge’s Rosalynde, a story that grew from Lodge’s own boyhood here at Soulton.

To walk these paths is to step into a 16th-century scene, accompanied by the rare and beautiful song of skylarks ascending over the fields. But beyond the history and the views, this day is about community and support. Every penny from ticket sales goes directly to Macmillan Fundraising Group specifical for Macmillan Cancer Support in Shropshire, to help those living with cancer in our local area.

Because we must protect this delicate habitat, tickets are strictly pre-book only with staggered arrival times throughout the day (Morning 10am-11am, Lunchtime 12pm-1pm, and Afternoon 2pm-3pm). Tickets are £7.50 for adults, £4 for children, or £20 for a family. We will also have a plant stall and refreshments waiting for you.

Please book early to avoid disappointment, as this event reaches capacity every year. We look forward to seeing many of you in the woods this April!

Book Your Tickets Here: https://macmillan-org.enthuse.com/cf/bluebell-walk-2026?fbclid=IwY2xjawO2BLhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEer2XRnHcbSPk3KCrZkYarIpL4zsRj9hpALpiv6XW2Y3t6Z1zxVO3UfAAG4cY_aem_zk2oz_gIzYtYQXR_I6C0hw

21/12/2025

📖 New Release: A Story Steeped in the Peace of Soulton

​We are often told that is a place where people feel a profound connection to those they have lost. It’s a place of quiet stories, and we are so proud that it has inspired a beautiful series of books by local author Katharine E. Smith.

​We are excited to share that the latest book in her What Comes Next series, A Woman’s Work, is out now!

​Building on the story that began with her novella First Christmas (set right here at the Barrow), this new novel follows the Hebden family as they navigate life, new arrivals, and the "work" of keeping a family together after the loss of their matriarch, Ruth.

​Why we love it:
✨ It captures the exact atmosphere of the Barrow—as a sanctuary where the past and present meet.
✨ It explores how we carry our loved ones with us in everything we do.
✨ It’s a touching tribute to the landscape of our corner of Shropshire.
​Whether you’ve visited the Barrow to find peace or are planning your first walk through Soulton Wood, these books are a wonderful way to experience the "magic" of this place from home.
​Support a fantastic independent author and dive into a story that feels like home.

​🔗 Find the book here: www.katharineesmith.com

📍 Visit the setting: Come and walk the paths that inspired the story.

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