[Stones] Sad news from Rollright

[Karin Attwood]

The following will be posted on the Rollright Stones website shortly but for
those of you who met him and for those of you who may have appreciated his
hard work here is an obituary from the Rollright Trust for Dohn Prout our
late site manager.

Karin



We are very sad to bring you the news that Dohn Prout our indefatigable site
manager passed away at the end of April.  Dohn's contribution to the work of
the Trust has been immense.  Everyone who has visited the Rollright Stones
in the past few years will be aware of how much has been done to improve
access and give the Stones more space within their surroundings.  Many who
visited the site, who volunteered in various capacities to help with work
parties or act as wardens, or who used the site for events from handfastings
to plays and films will have met Dohn in person.  Many others will have
become familiar with his open-mindedness, good sense and querky sense of
humour over the phone or by email.  

 

In 2001 the Trustees had developed a conservation and management plan for
the Stones, but as individuals with other busy lives we were failing to make
our ideas take shape on the ground.  We badly needed someone with flair and
initiative, and a lot of practical knowledge of how to get things done to
take up the challenge.  Dohn was a godsend - with a vast wealth of can-do
project management behind him and an immensely inventive flair for finding
solutions, he also had the patience and good humour to deal with the highly
varied and idiosyncratic interests of people who value the Stones and a
board of trustees who sometimes needed some cajoling and prodding to make
decisions.  Dohn not only was the person who turned our vision for the
Stones into reality, but was also the inspiration for a lot of ideas that
the Trust has taken up, like having the first downloadable audio tour and
story-telling for an ancient site in Britain.  

 

As Site Manager Dohn not only dealt with a great deal of day-to day
business, but was also the buffer and foil for a whole series of setbacks
due to vandalism of which the paint spattering in 2004 and the burning down
of the hut in 2006 were the most conspicuous and posed the greatest
challenges.  Typically, Dohn threw himself into finding solutions:  he
carried out experiments to find the best way of removing the paint without
damaging the lichens and was taken on by English Heritage to remove it,
painstakingly picking it off by hand.  It was Dohn's ideas that after a
great deal of debate have inspired the scheme for the new hut - which, when
we finish it as he envisaged will be less visible from the Stones, more
secure and more roomy inside than the old one, and yet ultimately removable
if need be.  

 

Much of what Dohn achieved for us was not just a matter of inventiveness and
practical implementation:  he also proved himself adept at finding and
securing many valuable grants, favours and special deals to help pay for the
work and keep costs down.  He was also at the heart of our negotiations with
neighbouring landowners to secure additional areas of land under the Trust's
management to improve the amenity of the Stones.  

 

All of us who value the Stones owe an immense amount to Dohn and he will be
very sorely missed.  We send Ba and the rest of Dohn's family our deepest
sympathy.

 

George Lambrick 

Chairman