Happy Birthday Stan Beckensall

This beautiful book has been published to celebrate the 90th birthday of Stan Beckensall. It is available as a Paperback or an open access eBook.

Stan Beckensall is renowned for his work, done on an entirely amateur basis, discovering, recording and interpreting Atlantic rock art in his home county of Northumberland and beyond. Presented on his 90th birthday, this diverse and stimulating collection of papers celebrates his crucial contribution to rock art studies, and looks to the future.

Presented to Stan Beckensall on his 90th birthday, this diverse and stimulating collection of papers celebrates his crucial contribution to rock art studies, and also looks to the future. It should be of value to students of prehistoric Britain and Ireland, and anyone with an interest in rock art, for many decades to come.


Stan has done a phenomenal amount of work over recent decades, on an entirely amateur basis, discovering, recording and interpreting Atlantic rock art (‘cup-and-ring marks’) in his home county of Northumberland and elsewhere. Much of this work was done in the 1970s and 1980s when the subject, now increasingly regarded as mainstream within Neolithic studies, was largely shunned by professional archaeologists.

Anyone with an interest in rock art is greatly indebted to Stan, not only for his work and his wisdom, so graciously shared, but also, as the contributors to this volume make clear, for the inspiration he has provided, and continues to provide, for work undertaken by others.

Link

St. Germain’s to Hazlegrove

In 447 Germain was invited to revisit Britain, and went with Severus, bishop of Trèves. It would seem that he did much for the Church there, if one can judge from the traditions handed down in Wales. On one occasion he is said to have aided the Britons to gain a great victory (called from the battle-cry, Alleluia! the Alleluia victory) over a marauding body of Saxons and Picts. Source

The Blast

‘Saw the end of that iron-making town

Saw it slowly start to die

As all around the works closed down

Yet no one could really say for why

Then one morning we were told in the wet and cold

To all gather round the foundry door

Where the manager said with a shake of the head

We’re none of us needed any more’

From Iron-Making Town by Graeme Miles

North – Wandering to Fittie

Further wanderings around Aberdeen

Aberdeen is so thrivingly alive because its order is tempered by randomness. There is a balance between regulation and chaos. It is contradictory and imperfect.

A polychrome relief in a monochrome city

A site of continuous improvisation

All quotes taken from Off Kilter Pt.1 written & presented by Jonathan Meades. BBC 2009

Watch it here