By A Long Chalk: a circular walk at Longplayer Live
London is a palimpsest. It has many layers; sediments of lives through millennia. Individual lives are brief, but the city itself has memory.
By A Long Chalk is a new guided walk written specially to accompany and celebrate Longplayer Live on Saturday 5 April 02025. The circular walk will run three times throughout the course of the day, starting and ending at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm. The walk will take 100 minutes, plus a halfway stop at a pub for 1,000 seconds. (Well, perhaps a shade longer.)
Your guide is Robert Kingham from Minimum Labyrinth, creators of tours, books, films and audio dramas. The walk has been written in collaboration with Long Now London, a community of practice for long-term thinking.
Robert has been interested in the Long Now Foundation since discovering the works of Stewart Brand in the 01990s. By A Long Chalk is an exploration of the environs and history of Chalk Farm and Primrose Hill, through the lens of ‘pace layers’, Brand’s model for the ever-interacting layers of civilisation. It is a way of hearing the signal amidst the noise of London: and in this small quarter, making sense of steam trains and secret vaults, geology and gin, duels and druids, tunnels, taverns and towpaths.
You can watch Robert's 'Primrose Hill' episode of Pagan London.
Longplayer is a 1,000-year-long piece of music that has been playing continuously since the first moments of this millennium and is composed to continue until the final moments of the next. On 5 April 02025, in its 25th anniversary year, Longplayer returns to the Roundhouse for a performance of the 1,000-minute section of its score, as written for that particular time and date, from 7.20am to midnight. Akin to what its composer, Jem Finer, calls a ‘vast, Bronze Age synthesiser’, Longplayer Live is performed on a large orchestral instrument comprised of 234 singing bowls, arranged in six concentric rings and played by shifts of six to twelve people at any one time, reading from a graphic score.
Frequently asked questions
What are the three ticket types? The Standard ticket is £20, and there is also a Concession rate of £10 (for students, unemployed or low income). There is also a Supporter rate of £30 - this is a 'pay it forward' price where at least a third of the price (and more if take-up is strong) will go towards supporting Longplayer Live and future Long Now London events. For those of you who are able to buy a Supporter ticket, thank you - you are helping us build the ecosystem for this community of practice and thinking.
Do I need to have a ticket to Longplayer Live? By A Long Chalk is a separate event with separate tickets, but the walks on Saturday 5 April 02025 are intended to be complementary to Longplayer Live. If you are not attending Longplayer Live then we suggest you sign up to the mailing list at Minimum Labyrinth as there will be future dates for this walk.
Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event? No. We suggest that this event is more suitable for over-14s.
How much walking is there? The total length of the walk is 3km with a halfway pub stop. We walk to the top of Primrose Hill (36 metres), which is up a mildly challenging slope - but the panoramic view is worth it.
Is the walk suitable for wheelchairs? Yes. There are a few areas where steps will pose a mild challenge, and the pubs have variable accessibility, but you will have a large group with you who are always delighted to help surmount any challenges.
What's the refund policy? Tickets refundable 30 days before the event.
Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event? No, your name will be on the list.
Can I update my registration information? Yes.
Is it OK if the name on my ticket or registration doesn't match the person who attends? Yes.
What is the image? "Druids on Primrose Hill Autumn Equinox" by Simon King is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.