Culture

Anglezarke features in local music, sport and other forms of popular culture.  Metal band Arendia produced a 2008 demo, entitled simply “Anglezarke”, telling the gruesome tales of the Neolithic moorland.

Promo pic for Arendia.

Promo pic for Arendia.

The lyrics to the title track are:

In the shadow of the standing stones
Pour the rivers flowing West
Giving life to the ancient tribes
And tales of murder, rape, incest

Grain Pole Hill, a sentry view,
Ever watching towards the coast
And looking back, towards the cairns,
Pikestones, White Ledge and Hurst

Knights Hospitallers lay tracks to the North
Over the windswept moorland heath
Mysterious carvings now lay below
All history lies beneath

A tribute to a leader lies true
Aligned between peak and pyre
Amongst the pasture, like the phoenix
Life rises from the fire

Barren landscape – Tales of Anglezarke
Barren landscape – Tales of Anglezarke
Barren landscape – Tales of Anglezarke
Barren landscape – Tales of Anglezarke

Richard Skelton has written a 294-page book containing his musings on the moors, and he has produced a selection of ambient-style audio tracks, too.  Richard’s passion for the moorland is evident, and his exploration and meditation in the area was his way of coming to terms with personal tragedy.

Richard Skelton's 294-page tome.

Richard Skelton’s 294-page tome.

I can STRONGLY recommend purchasing this book – it is by no means easy going, but the painstaking research and reference that Richard has undertaken in producing this masterpiece is evident.  You can view the Landings page on Richard’s blog here.

Indie group Then Thickens have produced an album entitled Death Cap At Anglezarke.  The Chorley six-piece are making big waves at present.  The band have shared their new single via highly respected new music blog Gold Flake Paint, and the Vice magazine music channel Noisey have just premiered the video for ‘Tiny Legs’ featuring Joe Gilgun, star of Shane Meadows’ film This Is England.

Then Thickens - Promo shot

Then Thickens – Promo shot

The band have been championed heavily by Steve Lamacq while fellow BBC 6 Music DJs Jarvis Cocker, Gideon Coe and Huw Stephens collectively lost their marbles too.

    

Dean Wood (verse)

John Wilson was a renowned Chorley historian, and amongst many other works, he wrote a poem called Dean Wood. This is mentioned in Rawlinson’s 1969 “About Rivington” book, and as we know that Wilson was writing books of his own at the turn of the previous century, this work could be fairly assumed to be …

    

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