On the evening of 21st June, the day the capstone went on, we had alignment!
Photograph by Colin Higgs
On June 21st 600 people gathered to watch the spectacle of the great stone being gently lowered into position by crane. First it had to be turned over and gently manoeuvred into the correct position above the three support stones. Then with a whirr and clicking of cameras it started to descend. It was a moment we had first anticipated in 2009 when work began to secure the Frying Pan Field and money was raised to pay for expert excavation and reporting on the 5000 year old site.
Reconstruction of the quoit created by Tom Goskar - expert reporting used to help put the quoit back to together
There was a huge round of applause when the stone finally touched down with a bit of a bang! The strops were removed and engines turned off. We removed the safety fencing and the crowd surged forward to touch the newly restored Cromlech. Many people in the audience remembered it in its last incarnation. It was a truly emotional moment. Photos were taken for the press and interviews for BBC spotlight recorded.
Photograph by West Briton
Then a Druid blessing involving Cornish cider being poured, a pagan blessing with water from Glastonbury Chalice Well splashed around the perimeter, then an 'Earth Chant' from Danu Fox. Bagas Crowd played and dancing took place. The Red River Singers with Hilary Coleman sang 'From the Chamber to the Grave' and their newly composed "Ballad of Carwynnen Quoit'. The sun shone and a great time was had by all. Caradoc outshone us all with his Cornish rendering of the story of Carwynnen Quoit. Festivities continued late into the night and we were rewarded by 2 comets careering past in the early morning light.
