TC Lethbridge | The Sons of TC-Lethbridge

Living in a shadow

14th Aug 2004

“In fact poets seem to be able to get far nearer to the heart of the matter than any modern philosopher, or theologian.... but then to be a real poet you have to sit and think. Few people nowadays have time to do this and would have to go on the dole if they tried to do it.
T.C. Lethbridge : ‘ A Step in the Dark’ p.127

As I write, both Doggen and Kevlar are still on the Spiritualized European festival circuit, but on his return, Doggen will commence the Dogntank rehearsals with Antr0nhy and Charlie, in readiness for their tour with Julian in September and October. I am looking forward to catching them live at the Colchester Arts Centre on 11th September.

However, I would like to begin this month’s posting by thanking Johnny Rhys-Lewis for the thorough and extensive information that he has recently ‘unearthed’ on T.C. Lethbridge. Thanks also go to Daniel Martin from Ballarat in Australia, for his respose to last month’s appeal for information on the Lethbridge family. Daniel unearthed a rare photograph of Lethbridge accompanied by an interesting tale:

“When reading Lethbridge's books, I noted he often refers to friends by their initials only, I particularly wondered who 'WSB' was as he is often mentioned. After a bit of detective work, I discovered his full name to be William Syer Bristowe, and found he was the author of several books, mostly concerning spiders, but when I saw the title of one book was 'A Book of Islands', I recalled Lethbridge stating that he and WSB shared a love of islands, so I thought it may be worth getting a copy to see if perhaps a page or two had some information about Tom. This proved to be a most fruitful assumption, as well as containing the photograph I've sent you, the first 60+ pages of the book have a great deal about Tom and Mina too. The remainder of the book is a worthwhile read also."

Daniel has suggested these two links, which you may wish to check out:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/8481/Pams.html

http://homepage.mac.com/geertvanderkolk/due%20north%20pages/mailroom.html

As a result of Johnny’s contributions and enquiries, I have posted elsewhere on this site, T.C. Lethbridge’s obituary published in ‘The Times’ at the time of his death, plus some other related articles that may be of interest.

As well as the Lethbridge obituaries, I have also posted into my journal this month, an essay on a little-known ‘landmark’ that is local to me here in Lincolnshire – ‘Tufa the Dragon’. It is often these little known quirks of nature that have been responsible for the establishment of settlements or the creation of cultures. We are prone to observe monuments created by civilisations, but often fail to see what inspired them to settle or evolve in the first place, or what indeed motivated them to create the monuments for which they are often remembered. T.C. Lethbridge was astutely aware of the relevance of the natural, and of course the supernatural, to the ancients. A carved giant on a hillside would give its name to a range of hills or a flash of green light at sunset observed in The Minch would become local legend.

In my own home - Lincoln, the Norman cathedral that dominates the city’s skyline has presided over the populous of the city for the past 1,000 years. Even if you are not of the Christian faith, it is difficult to ignore the power, both physically and culturally, that this edifice has over the inhabitants of the city. In less affluent times, this ‘in your face’ example of wealth and power must surely have been perceived by the poorer city dwellers as an undeniable and unquestionable example of the power of god.

I have often pondered upon the lives of those who live or lived in the shadow, of natural phenomenon, be it a mountain, a natural outcrop of rock, or what we nowadays might perceive as a holy hill, for example; Brentor on Dartmoor, Dunnideer in Aberdeenshire or Glastonbury Tor in Somerset. These undeniable examples of the power of nature must have instilled in the settlers who dwelt in their vicinity, a deep admiration. The populous’ adoration, of a natural feature or occurrence, would surely have been deeper rooted and far more unyielding than any patronage of a ‘bricks and mortar’ shrine created by creed and dogma.

Below is a diary note I made after a visit to Blakey Topping in February 2002:

I have returned home from a visit to the natural occurrence in the North York Moors known as Blakey Topping, I now ponder upon the effect the hill would have had upon those that once lived and worshipped in its shadow. Living in the city of Lincoln, I have witnessed how the cathedral on the hill has come to dominate the psych of the populous. Although I am not a Christian, its presence and power dominates my view from every angle. I feel a kinship with it and although I disagree with the philosophy behind its subsistence, the structure has come to represent my own perception of the city, an understanding that contains both memory and my own personal involvement in its history.

The builders of this cathedral intended it as a power-statement, in pretty much the same way that the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York once dominated the Manhattan sky-line. It is likely that ‘the folks’ (a Bush-ism!), involved in the act of terrorism on September 11th 2001, perceived the twin towers as obvious targets, for they were icons for an adverse culture that represented both wealth and materialism. To strike at a culture’s temple, inflicts a damaging psychological blow to its people. For the ‘Ancients’ living in the shadow of Blakey Topping, the effect would have been similar to that of my vision of Lincoln cathedral and to those that lived in the vicinity of the twin towers. The important difference being, Blakey Topping was born out of the earth and unlike the cathedral, the twin towers and similar structures, Blakey Topping was a natural phenomenon. The splendour of this extraordinary mother-hill would have certainly created an overwhelming mood of subservience and the hill would have been venerated because of this and woul have been adopted as a spiritual home. Throughout history, the hill would have presided over generation upon generation and would have been a timeless focus for all and everything. The power and uniqueness of nature and community was encompassed within this natural home.

In ‘The Modern Antiquarian’(1), Julian Cope suggests that hills such as Blakey Topping and nearby Howden, were prototypes for the inspiration behind man-made hills such as Silbury. This is very likely, for to recreate an aspect of nature on such a grand scale as Silbury, it would give those that conceived the idea, a sense of esteem and an association with the great mother they were once subservient to.

Enjoy the essay on ‘Tufa the Dragon’.

Welbourn TEKH – Lincoln - August 14th 2004

Notes:
1. Cope J. (1998) “The Modern Antiquarian” Thorsons/Harper Collins. pp.111-119