WAYLAND'S SMITHY 1. Wayland's Beech; 2. Wayland's Smithy; 3. Wayland's Smithy off The Ridgeway; 4. The Door; 5. Dappled WAYLAND'S SMITHY LONG BARROW, OXFORDSHIRE Dating from around 3700BCE, this neolithic wedge-shaped chambered long barrow lies to the north of The Ridgeway and measures nearly 180’ in length, tapering from almost 50’ to 20’ in width. Excavations in 1962/3 confirmed that it was initially a wooden mortuary structure with an earthen mound covering a sarsen stone floor, and discovered the remains of 14 bodies. Pretty soon after the initial construction it was re-covered with the wedge-shaped mound and kerbed with sarsens. The cross-shaped burial chamber was dug in 1919 and burials of 7 adults and 1 child were found in the main chamber - but without any grave goods or thigh bones. Only 4 of the huge entrance stones remain, nearly 10’ in height. Legend had it that if your horse needed to be re-shod you could leave it with payment overnight and the Norse god Wayland the Smith would see to it by sunrise, a tale reiterated by Sir Walter Scott in Kenilworth and in local author Thomas Hughes’ Tom Brown’s Schooldays. Traditionally Wayland rode a great white horse, which ties in nicely with the hill carving just along The Ridgeway. OS: SU.281.854 Along The Ridgeway, west of White Horse Hill. South of the B4057 south west of Uffington. WAYLAND'S SMITHY oil on canvas | 7" x 9" | 2004 | £95 DAPPLED photo | 10" x 8" | 2004 #LE12 print run 25 A4

WAYLAND'S BEECH oil on canvas | 16" x 20" | 2003 | £125 Surrounded by silent beech trees and frequented by dowsers, Wayland's Smithy's serene tranquility is awe inspiring (if you ignore the occasional nearby burnt-out car). This view is from within the main burial chamber. The art reviewer Tim Birch described the sky as "like oxygenated blood", which I rather liked but had to look up. WAYLAND'S SMITHY OFF THE RIDGEWAY charcoal | 15" x 11" | 2000 | £80 #P37 A3 & A4 THE DOOR ink & charcoal | 16" x 10" | 2000 | £80 #P38 A3 & A4 Back to: The Gallery | Home