Take a step into the Prehistoric: Reinvention of our Signature Collection

Our Standing Stone Collection is back! And it’s here for good. 

Oh, boy. What a journey this was. The Standing Stone collection was my first ever candle idea. It really shaped AshWood Candles into the brand it has now become. And so, when I took the original candle collection off the shelf, I knew it wasn’t the last time I would see them.

The four original sites that I chose to mould into candle-form are sites that are very close to my heart.

Calanais, my first love. Pobull Fhinn, my first adventure. Nether Largie, my first cup-mark. And Brodgar, the one I have yet to see.

They all mean very different things to me, personally. Collectively, they’re part of a monolithic monumentalism that pervades Scottish and European prehistory. I think Standing Stones invoke many feelings for many people. For some, they represent that bridge to the past and are a feat of engineering. Others they’re a continuation of spirituality and connection. And to many, they’re where Jamie Fraser lives—well if you can get through them, that is. Lucky Claire.

I think we can all agree, there is something special about standing stones as a collective. I mean, the British Museum currently has a whole exhibition dedicated to them. The World of Stonehenge. And although, Stonehenge is probably the most well-known stone circle, it is definitely not the only one within the British Isles. And there’s far more than the four I have paid homage to.

Standing Stones bring something to the table, that is pretty ephemeral and awe-inspiring. Okay, so I might be going out on a limb here, but I don’t think anyone has ever visited a standing stone or stone circle, and not went a little slack-jawed. Right?

They’re so utterly impressive. And theirs a stillness about them that makes you shiver. Even when there’s a cluster of tourists taking photos for the ‘gram around you. Okay, before I go on. Let’s get one thing sorted first, I’m a romantic and an archaeologist. It’s the worst possible combination when it comes to interpreting the past. I cannot be clinical. I see the stories that may have never been told and I see patterns where there are simply cup marks. I’m guilty of romanticising them. I know this.

BUT.

And it’s a big but.

What if that’s okay?

The meaning of monuments change, constantly. They’re not simply structures that reflect the society they were built in, but actually echo the shifting attitudes and changes in society too. Whoever first made Stonehenge, for example. When it was just a little Mesolithic timber circle, surely wouldn’t have thought that that site would become what it is today. But it did. And it was added to. It was cared for.

Standing Stones are not singular entities mind. It’s commonly thought that it’s the landscape, working in conjunction with the monument, that is the most important part of these sites.

The landscape is often moulded by the people of the past. Pobull Fhinn, for example, sits on a human-made terrace. The landscape was purposefully shaped by people of the past to look like that. Was it because of the stones? Maybe. Maybe not. But clearly, there is something important about that landscape that required so much work and effort.

The Ring of Brodgar is another fascinating site. It has been added to, over time, the ditch around it was dug by hand. It would have been a lot of effort for a community to do. And interestingly enough, the postholes that were dug for the stones, they’re not very deep. Now, what does that say? To me, it says they weren’t meant to be there that long. And yet they still are—that tells you all you need to know about Neolithic construction. Maybe I’m jumping a bit, but to me, that sounds like it’s the landscape that’s the important thing. And these stones, hey, maybe that’s why they’re still standing. They want us to know this place is important. It is to be respected. It’s to be looked after.

If you think about it, if that was the whole point of these beautiful, awe-inspiring sites, then whoa, the ancestors would be pretty darn happy that we actually listened. Standing Stones are the remains of a past that really isn’t so distant. They’re important monuments now, just as they were back then. That’s the prevailing thought I have when I visit a stone circle. That sense that you’re standing in the middle of something that is important, that has meaning, and that is a feeling, maybe a truth, that really transcends time and linguistic barriers.

Calanais Stones (Callanish I), Isle of Lewis.

But, as I said, I’m a romantic. And now I must add that typical archaeologist caveat and that is—oh, hang on, I need my academic voice!

“Of course, that’s only one interpretation.”

Yep, I think I nailed that.

In all seriousness, that is only one interpretation. Mine. And it really doesn’t have a lot of weight to it. It wouldn’t withstand a peer-review, certainly, but it is my truth. And that’s why I knew that the reinvention of the Standing Stone collection needed some of that mystery injected into it.

With any new collection, I start with the artwork. I already had the scents. I had chosen them a long time ago to reflect the landscape of each site. And so, the artwork, for me, was the most important aspect of the candle design. It sets the tone. I started looking at each site, how they sat within the landscape, and how they interacted with it. I even asked a good friend of mine to tell me about her own personal experience visiting Brodgar. She did an excellent job at describing the feelings she had when she visited. It was actually quite Phenomenological actually—moving through the landscape and seeing, in your minds eye, what people of the past and present felt within that site. That’s why with our new labels, I’ve included the landscape as well as the stones. Its why the contours of the land are outlined and followed. I wanted the label to be transportive. To place you within the circle and make you feel part of that place. As if I had taken a 4D photograph and handed it to you.

With these candles, your senses are engaged. You can smell the landscape, you can look at the stones, and when you read our new ‘mood’ indicators on the label, I hope you can see the site too.

I wanted the choice of candle vessel to reflect this too. Often these sites are surrounded by greenery. They are in the middle of machairs, open landscapes, and wild places. The green of our new emerald Italian-made vessels was chosen to reflect this, but also to evoke that sense of mystery and wonder that standing stones give you. You know, that tingling feeling in your chest when you stumble across such sites. Or when the sunlight hits the stones in just the right way?

Yes. That feeling.

That is what I wanted to curate in these candles. They are part of the site, just as much as the stones themselves.

In all honesty, the reinvention was a labour of love for me. Each and every candle I’ve made, I have loved and I pour a little bit of my soul into each one, but I have definitely given my whole self to the Standing Stone collection.

And I hope you all enjoy them, feel connected to them, and think of these beautiful sites whenever you light them.

The Standing Stone Collection is now available in our store.