Monument Podcast

Chanctonbury Ring - a mysterious landmark which has caught the imagination of people going back thousands of years.  A lurking spot for the Devil, Julius Caesar, Saxon ghosts, World War 2 bombs, Morris Dancers, the Great Beast Aleister Crowley, Victorian picnics and almost anything else you could imagine..

Justin Hopper's book Old Weird Albion covers Chanctonbury and other magic-infused sites along the South Downs Way:

http://www.pennedinthemargins.co.uk/index.php/2017/09/the-old-weird-albion/

Justin and Sharron Kraus released the album Chanctonbury Rings in 2018:

https://ghostbox.greedbag.com/buy/chanctonbury-rings-0/

Jacqueline Simpson has written several books, but a good place to start is her book Folklore of Sussex:

https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/folklore-of-sussex/9780752499994/

The rest of the music in this episode comes from Adrien Rhodes, who I have to say a huge thank you too for providing the textures and ambience for Monument.

An interview with Dave Bangs, author and campaigner for the protection and enjoyment of nature and the countryside.  Dave has written three books on the subject, his latest book 'Land of the Brighton Line' can be found here:

http://landofthebrightonline.co.uk

Dave talked about his former work as a mural artist, there is a record of some of his work and audio interviews with Dave here:

https://www.forwallswithtongues.org.uk/artists/david-bangs/

In this short episode I speak to Chris Hare and Jacqueline Simpson about the mysterious Knucker Hole, home to a water monster.

You can find more about this legend and others like it in Chris Hare's book The Secret Shore :

https://friendsofthesouthdowns.org.uk/shop/merchandise/the-secret-shore-book/

Jacqueline has written about the Knucker in her books Folklore of Sussex and British Dragons :

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1093354.British_Dragons

There's also another Knucker, or Necker, to be found lurking in Deptford Creek, you can read about that, and more strangeness at the Portals of London blog:

https://portalsoflondon.com/2019/01/13/drowned-lair-the-deptford-creek-necker/

This old oak tree standing at the foot of the South Downs in Southern England has a strange tale of skeletons rising up from its roots at midnight on Midsummers Eve. 

I traced the story back to its origins and also learn about the power of stories to affect a place.

There is music in this episode from Crayola Lectern:

https://www.crayolalectern.com

The rest of the music is provided kindly by Adrien Rhodes.

If you'd like a copy of the Monument Zine, which develops the theme of Trees as markers of place, crime and culture then please visit the Monument Podcast website:

https://monumentpodcast.com/shop.html

You can also find an animation I've made about the story, and additional material related to the Broadwater Oak.

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An extra episode to follow on from my conversation with Bob Trubshaw in Episode 3.

Episode 3 of Monument Podcast, I talk to Bob Trubshaw about what makes somewhere a 'place'..

Episode 2 of Monument Podcast

www.monumentpodcast.com

Exploring the stories and landscape around the Wilmington Giant, a chalk hill figure carved into the South Downs.

Introduction to the Monument Podcast