A Flax Corn Dolly on Blockhouse Park.
Prior to the formation of the CIC, in March 2022, in partnership with the Village Hub, Stoke, Plymouth, we built an oversized Corn Dolly made of flax straw. The week long flax corn dolly making event took place in the park and Stoke Youth and Community Centre at the base of the Blockhouse. Participants from the local community made a variety of traditional corn dollies out of flax, including the Welsh Fan, Countryman’s Favour, Cat’s Paw, and Spiral.
A Flax Corn Dolly on Blockhouse Park was made possible by a Keyham Community Sparks Grant with the support of the Village Hub.. Look out for mini flax dollies still adorning the streets around West Plymouth and check back for updates.
The spirit of nature talks to us through these beautiful objects. Are we listening?
Flax crafters and Village Hub volunteers were available to talk to people and show how to weave flax straw into small dollies and assist with the larger one.
On July 18th at the Stoke Village Fun Day the Flax Corn Dolly was ceremoniously carried by 3 burly local men, accompanied by the Dartmoor Border Morris, up to a prepared circular bed on Blockhouse Park and placed in the centre. Particpants broke up parts of the dolly, releasing the spirit of the field back in to the soil before sowing a bed of flax. The Dartmoor Morris sang a beautiful rendition of Summer Is A-Cumen In and performed The Cuckoo’s Nest traditional Morris Dance.
The flax we planted (very late) will be harvested at the end of October.
The name Corn Dolly is a generic term for symbolic objects woven from straw of any kind, usually wheat. Corn Dollies date back to pre-Christian farming practices. Corn dollies were traditionally made from the first or last stems of the harvest. It was believed that the spirit of the field was saved in the corn dolly until the following spring when the dolly would be planted back into the field and this would release the spirit for the next crop. The corn dolly is a reminder of a healthier past relationship to nature, one that we have all but lost. It speaks of the looming disaster but also, if we listen, it gives us the key to regain what we have lost.
The last 3 photos above are by photographer Josh Greet, who kindly covered the event.
A Flax Corn Dolly on Blockhouse Park was made possible by a Keyham Community Sparks Grant.
This film of the Flax Corn Dolly on Blockhouse Park is by Plymouth based film maker Daryl Codrington.
The name Corn Dolly is a generic term for symbolic objects woven from straw of any kind, usually wheat. Corn Dollies date back to pre-Christian farming practices. Corn dollies were traditionally made from the first or last stems of the harvest. It was believed that the spirit of the field was saved in the corn dolly until the following spring when the dolly would be planted back into the field and this would release the spirit for the next crop. The corn dolly is a reminder of a healthier past relationship to nature, one that we have all but lost. It speaks of the looming disaster but also, if we listen, it gives us the key to regain what we have lost.
A Flax Corn Dolly on Blockhouse Park has been made possible by a Keyham Community Sparks Grant.
