Luton will mark the summer solstice with a moment of history in the making, as its own version of Stonehenge begins to rise from the chalky ground of Marsh Farm.
Luton Henge – a new permanent artwork and monument made from locally quarried Totternhoe chalk – will see its standing stones lifted into place for the first time outside Marsh House during a community celebration on Saturday June 21 to mark the longest day of the year and provide a lasting landmark for the town.
Created by award-winning artist Matthew Rosier in collaboration with Lutonians and community organisations, Luton Henge is described as “a place where art, history and nature come together”.
When complete in July – with a dusk-till-dawn community festival planned to celebrate its official opening – it will feature eight standing stones arranged around a central chalk circle, forming a space for community events, performance and reflection.
The Henge will stand near Waulud’s Bank, a Neolithic earthwork at the source of the River Lea. The site itself – a former BMX track – is being transformed into a wildflower chalk meadow with accessible paths and handcrafted wooden benches.
The Henge has been shaped through months of collaboration between local people and the Luton Henge Collective, who will continue to act as stewards of the site into the future.
At the project launch, Rosier said: “What drew me to this project in particular is it combines the three things I’m most passionate about: local history, ancient history, nature. To me, that’s what a henge is all about.”
On his Instagram page, he has described the henge as “a new community monument made from the Chilterns’ chalk landscape, inspired by the marks left by those who first settled there.”
Lindsey Pugh, CEO and creative director of Luton-based Revoluton Arts – who are delivering the project – said: “What better way to make something that is so rooted in Luton’s heritage and Luton’s history, to share with the world in a landmark kind of way. To me, that’s what a henge is all about.”
The Standing of the Stones ceremony on June 21 will form the centrepiece of the summer solstice event. A programme blending ancient inspiration with modern community spirit will see participants walk through the chalklands of Totternhoe Quarry, share a West Indian meal, place personal Hope Stones within the henge and watch as it is illuminated by firelight at sunset.
Arts development manager Kerenza McClarnan, from National Landscapes, said: “This is very much an opportunity through arts commissioning to look at how people can reconnect and how to find that connection back to nature, back to their local landscapes.”
Local artist and writer Bhagvati Patel added: “What we’re going to do is resurrect on the old site a semi-circle stone representative of a henge, similar to Stonehenge. The surprise of it is that it’s here in Luton. And I think that that, on its own, is a remarkable thing to discover.”
Cllr Robert Roche from Luton Council said: “Luton Henge, for me, is a spiritual place. It’s a place that represents the historical area that we’re in today in Marsh House.”
The day after the stones are risen (June 22), locals are being invited to take part in a hands-on workshop helping to physically shape the ceremonial space. Families, friends and individuals will work under Rosier’s guidance to pack chalk from the historic Totternhoe Quarry into the ground. This ancient Chilterns technique involves laying loose chalk across the site and flattening it down to form the ceremonial centre circle and a pathway to the henge.
There will also be a bench-making workshop from July 1-3 to create the seating for the Henge’s grand unveiling in July. It the call-out for volunteers, organisers have said: “It’s your chance to be part of something monumental, something truly Lutonian — a structure built by many, for many, to last the test of time.”
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