Stunning traditional cairn built by hand on Suffolk beach

Henry Fletcher from Thorpeness has crafted one of the structures on the village's beach using local coralline crag stone.

Henry Fletcher building the cairn at Thorpeness (Image: Anna Lipska)

Mr Fletcher creates experiences for people to learn about ecology and uses different practices such as writing, walking and storytelling to do that.

Much of his work is based in Iceland, where he has a trail development project. Part of this work involves restoring cairns that have fallen down on old walking routes.

Henry Fletcher built the cairn over several weeks (Image: Anna Lipska)

Traditionally, cairns are used as way-markers but can also be used in burials.

It was a combination of this work and recent stormy weather that led to the Thorpeness cairn.

"I started when the Beast from the East two hit," said Mr Fletcher.

"Every day for about two weeks I was going down to the beach and collecting up the coralline crag that had been unearthed and revealed by the storm's energy."

The rocks were all collected from the beach (Image: Archant)

Despite the weight of the heavy stones, Mr Fletcher was pleased with his final creation.

"It was a relief to finish it," said Mr Fletcher.

"At the same time I'm already missing not being on the beach so much.

"It's a nice combination of the work I've been doing in Iceland and giving it a local interpretation."

Mr Fletcher said that the creation of the structure had proved a good distraction from a book that he is writing about his work in Iceland.

The cairn has garnered a lot of local interest.

"It really surprised me," said Mr Fletcher.

"I wasn't quite sure what I was going to build when I started building it but I had the idea of it being a space where people could have conversations about their relationships with the sea and their sense of place.

"It has become that in a strange way.

"When I've been building it, I've had a lot of conversations with people walking past.

"It was a beautiful opportunity to meet local people."

If you look hard enough, you will find a postcard tucked amongst the rocks with a message (Image: Archant)

The structure is in no way permanent and will eventually fall back into the sea.

"The impermanence of it was something I definitely intended to incorporate into it," said Mr Fletcher.

"I look forward to that moment when it is reclaimed."