By Jacqueline Elmore

For three days every June, hundreds of thousands of people gather to attend one of the biggest festivals in the world; the Glastonbury Festival. For many, it’s a chance to escape the trappings of everyday life. To recharge. To reconnect. To stand at the base of the iconic Pyramid stage, waiting for the lights to shine bright, ready to dance like no one is watching.

For music lovers, the Pyramid stage is more than an engineered, steel structure. It inhabits the same sacred ground as Stonehenge and Glastonbury Abbey and is said to lie on a ‘ley line’ (ley lines refer to straight alignments drawn between various historic structures and prominent landmarks). Most ancient cultures have used the pyramid structure as a platform for worship, so it would only seem fitting for the disciples of great music to do the same.

This most popular stage has been hosting artists for forty-nine years, and some of the world’s greatest performers have powered through sets within its belly; from Bowie to Beyonce, from The Rolling Stones to Radiohead, from The Smiths to Stormzy: the Pyramid Stage has seen it all.

2020 (and 2021) would have seen the Glastonbury Festival return to celebrate its 50th year had a global pandemic not interfered with the world order. As we slowly struggle to return to normality, music journalists have been paying tribute to the late Bill Harkin, the designer and architect of Glastonbury’s great Pyramid stage who died in March at the age 83. There are many pages of condolences, acknowledgements, praise, and love for Bill on the internet and the almost mystical work that he produced in the Vale of Avalon all those years ago.

Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis, said that Bill had lived an “inspirational life”, was “simply loved by us all” and that “his enthusiasm and dedication led to what we have now – thank you so much Bill.” There is no doubt. Bill Harkin was a legend. He was also a Cuckfield resident for forty years. There simply isn’t enough space to tell all of Bill’s story and the adventures he had in full, but with the help of his wife, Dee, son Will, daughter Kira, and close friend (and photographer), Paul Misso, the family share some of their most treasured memories that shaped his extraordinary life.

To read their stories, pick up a copy of May’s Cuckfield Life magazine and turn to pages 34 & 35.