The Battle of the Beanfield

On 1 June 1985, a convoy of New Age Travellers set off for the ancient stone circle of Stonehenge in the south of England. They were planning to hold a festival there for the summer solstice, but they were stopped by police blocking their access to the site.

The authorities had heard the travellers were carrying chainsaws and petrol bombs. The police smashed the hippies’ vans and tents in what became known as the Battle of the Beanfield. It was a turning point for British alternative culture.

Lucy Burns speaks to Helen Hatt who was one of more than 500 people arrested that day.

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(Photo: The Battle of the Beanfield. Credit: Getty Images)