These seats, shown in the photographs, are situated either side of the entrance to the Barrow, just before reaching the gate. They were purposefully sited to give visitors an opportunity to sit, contemplate, and gather their thoughts, prior to entering the Barrow.
The idea for these seats evolved during the build, and demonstrate the wonderful relationship we had with the young builders, and their passion for their work.
Unintentionally, when marking out the layout for the Barrow, the builders left a wider area at the entrance. When I visited, I saw the footprint, and mentioned a seat may be nice. When showing visitors around the Barrow, I didn’t want people to feel rushed by us ‘loitering’, but by having a seat, the pressure would be avoided. The builders completely understood where I was coming from, and came up with this wonderful cocoon or egg shape design, the natural stone giving the feeling of wrapping itself around you as you sit before entering the Barrow.
What’s more, during visits to the quarry to select the large stones, we came across fossils, some rather quirky, which have also found their way into the seat surrounds. Other curious fossils and stones have found their way into the nooks and crannies in this area, and visitors are taking one, and replacing them with another.
What a special area to come from an accidental design