It’s probably difficult for those of us who don’t experience claustrophobia to recognise and understand that some people may be put off the idea and concept of the Barrow, when they hear that it’s a relatively small space, and underground.
A recent professional visitor to the Barrow shared his thoughts and feelings with me, once he was inside. Entering the Barrow he was clearly calm and relaxed, and there was nothing to suggest to me he had thought a lot about whether it was really somewhere he wanted to visit. Thanks to the design of the Barrow, and the height of the ceilings, natural light is able to flood all the way into the main chamber. On top of this the peace and tranquility inside, any feelings of anxiety and claustrophobia remained undisturbed.
The visitor ended up being overwhelmed by the fact that he hadn’t had any issues going into the Barrow, and spending what resulted in being a considerable amount of time there. He shared his prior concerns and feelings with me afterwards saying ‘I really was very unsure about coming here today, because I’m not great with small spaces, but the Barrow doesn’t give any feelings of being enclosed, it’s just stunningly beautiful, calm and relaxing, as you say, with a feeling you just can’t explain.’
Our visitor was happy for us to share his experience so that anyone who has any anxieties, can be reassured, by another person’s experience, that the Barrow may just be worth a visit.