A Walk Through Time
The SPIRAL Centre's contribution to celebrate Seaton’s 1000th anniversary in 2O05 was to construct a Labyrinth Walk in the Cliff field.
It has an eleven circuit form based on a combination of designs at Chartres Cathedral in France and the one at Saffron Waldron in Suffolk.
The pathways are grass with the divides made from stone from quarries all along the World Heritage coast.
Ammonites have been set into the lobes and a Portland stone slab in the centre.
Unlike a maze, a labyrinth has no false turns or dead ends.
There is an Interpretation board explaining the geology of the coast as well as special features of our Labyrinth and how it relates to the coastline.
There is also be a carved finger labyrinth for all to use.
The purpose of the project is to relate to the twists and turns of life’s journey to our cultural heritage embodied in labyrinth design, and to the unique evolutionary heritage exposed in the geological sequences of the local coast, so famous for its spiral ammonite fossils.
Walking a labyrinth is a meaningful experience that connects one more closely to the processes and purposes of life. We expect many interpretational, educational, and artistic and research studies to flow from our labyrinth project and we look forward to guiding people in its use.
Labyrinths have a universal appeal and are found all around the world, from all cultures and all ages, they are renowned for their healing properties.
Within a 60ft diameter spiral, the half-mile walk will connect with the way in which the 95-mile coastline reveals 185 million years of evolution.
This project has received support from the Right Reverend Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter, Michael Fairfax, sculptor of the Exmouth Geo-needle, Jane Sunderland designer of the Norwich Cathedral Labyrinth, Dorset County Council, and David Bellamy.
Grants for its construction, use, and interpretation have been received from Seaton Town Council, Devon, and Dorset County Councils (World Heritage Coast Team), the Conservation Foundation and the Local Heritage Initiative, which is a partnership between the Heritage Lottery, fund, Nationwide Building Society and the Countryside Agency.
The Spiral Centre, which is concerned with personal and environmental well-being, is extremely grateful to all the supporters of this project and looks forward to welcoming people to ‘Walk through time’ in the Seaton Labyrinth in 2005.
The grand opening was on Sunday 24th July 2005.
Seaton 1005 - 2005
2005 is the Millennium anniversary of the granting of a royal charter establishing Seaton as a community. In 1005 AD the English Saxon King, Æthelred the Unready granted a hide of land to one of his Reeves, the Kings Reeve, Eadsidge.
Æthelred is remembered as 'the Unready'. The name Æthelred is a composite of 'æthel' and 'ræd' - meaning 'noble counsel'. 'Unræd' (of which 'unready' is a present day interpretation) is a pun on the name Æthelred, and means, literally, 'no counsel' - suggesting incompetence, or, at least, a lack of judgement.
In Anglo Saxon times a ‘hide of land, was defined as the amount of land needed to support a peasant family,” the acres sufficient for one plough for a year”, generally an area of around 100 acres although sizes of ‘hides’ could and did vary.
In practice by 1005 AD, a hide was not so much a measurement of land but an area upon which taxes were assessed.
The name given to the ‘hide’ granted in the charter was “Fleote” which in the English of the time means “Sea Estuary”.
The natural harbour of the River Axe estuary was at that time a much wider and deeper inlet and was one of the most important trading harbours in the South West.
In this period of early English history, Anglo Saxon England was being ravaged by Viking Sea Pirates, who each summer took the opportunity to raid and plunder towns and villages on the English coast line. Eadsige, reeve of the king is mentioned in the Anglo Saxon chronicles as having taken part in one of the many battles with the Vikings.
In AD 1001 the Vikings who the year before had sailed to Normandy, returned to Southern England and landing in Hampshire marched as far inland as East Dean on the Suffolk-Hampshire border. There they were attacked by an English army who whilst inflicting heavier losses than their own on the Vikings fled the battlefield leaving the Vikings free to do as they liked.
The Vikings marched west into Devon and where they burned Teignton, and “also many other goodly manors that we cannot name”.
After which they proceeded towards Exe-mouth, till they came to Pinhoe; where Kola, high-reeve of the king, and Eadsige, reeve of the king, came against them with the army that they had collected "a vast force of the people of Devon and of the people of Somerset”
"But they were there put to flight, and there were many slain, and the Danes had possession of the field of battle. And the next morning they burned the manor of Pinhoe, and of Clyst, and also many goodly manors that we cannot name. Then they returned eastward again, till they came to the Isle of Wight".
In AD 1002 Æthelred decided to buy off the Vikings and the king and his council made peace with them, on condition that they received food and tribute; which they accepted, and a tribute was paid of 24,000 pounds.
However in November of AD 1002 on St Brice’s day Æthelred gave orders to massacre all the Danes in England. "The king sent with secrecy into every town letters, according to which the English suddenly rose on the Danes, everywhere on the same day and at the same hour, and either put them to the sword, or, seizing them unawares, burnt them on the spot."
Amongst those slaughtered was Gunnhild, sister of King Swein 'Forkbeard' of Denmark:-
"This woman, who possessed considerable beauty, had come over to England with her husband Palling (Pallig), a powerful nobleman, and embracing Christianity had made herself a pledge of the Danish peace. . . She bore her death with fortitude, neither turning pale at the time of execution, nor, when dead and her blood exhausted, did she lose her beauty; her husband was murdered before her face, and her son, a youth of amiable disposition, was transfixed with four spears."
Swein's revenge was not long coming. The following year (1003) he:
" broke into the city of Exeter through the stupidity, carelessness, and surrender of Hugo (Hugh), a Norman earl, whom queen Emma had set in command over Devonshire; and he plundered it, broke down the wall from the eastern to the western gate, and having gotten great booty went back to his ships."
AD 1005 saw a severe famine in England, and Swein's fleet retreated to Denmark.
King Swein returned the next year and the devastation caused by the Vikings was so great that once more the King and his council decided to pay ‘tribute’ to buy peace. The 'Anglo-Saxon Chronicle' entry for 1007 notes:
"In this year was the tribute paid to the hostile army; that was, 36,000 pounds.
This is the background of events of history of the time of the granting of the town charter. Why it was granted, whether as a reward for services to the King, or as a further way of raising taxes to pay off the Vikings is not known.
The town remained known as Fleote until the 13th century after which it became known by its present name of Seaton.