Wyl Menmuir in conversation with Alex Murdin and Sophie Pierce
Fantastical yet natural, Dartmoor’s 280-million-year-old tors are among the most iconic landmarks in southern Britain. Victorian antiquarians described them as ‘rock idols’, believing them to be stone deities worshipped by the Druids. Thousands of years before that, they inspired our ancestors who built ceremonial stone rows and circles aligned on them.
So what is it about stone that compels? In their new book, Rock Idols, Dartmoor locals Alex Murdin and Sophie Pierce pay homage to these fantastical forms in words and drawings, exploring their emotional power, the myths that surround them and the stories they tell.
They will be joined by acclaimed author Wyl Menmuir whose best-selling books bring us to closer understanding of the elemental forces of the natural world and who is writing a new book The Spirit of Stone, due out next year.
Wyl Menmuir is a Booker-longlisted novelist and author of The Heart of the Woods, and The Draw of the Sea. His new book, The Spirit of Stone, will be published in 2026.
Alex Murdin is an artist who draws to connect human and non-human worlds. Rock Idols is his first book.
Sophie Pierce is the author of The Green Hill, a memoir about love, loss and the Devon landscape, as well as five wild swimming guides.
This event is part of the first Dartmoor Tors Festival. All ticketed events at Ashburton Arts Centre and the Field System gallery next door can be booked at wegottickets.com/dartmoortorsfestival.
Visit Dartmoor Tors Festival for the full programme, and links to book on guided walks, workshops and other events happening elsewhere.
This is a new festival about culture and place from 23 – 25 May 2025, based in Ashburton, South Dartmoor, with events in Ashburton Arts Centre and Field System gallery in Ashburton, and other locations around Dartmoor.
Doors and bar open at 10.45am
Book at wegottickets.com/ashburtonarts (+10% fee) or email
Ym94b2ZmaWNlIHwgYXNoYnVydG9uYXJ0cyAhIG9yZyAhIHVr to reserve and pay on the door. Always three prices – please pay what you can.
See Access, Tickets & Finding Us for more about why there are three ticket prices, plus other useful info about coming to events at Ashburton Arts Centre:
https://ashburtonarts.org.uk/access-booking-tickets-parking-finding-us/
Level access from street
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