The Atchin Tan Project
What Was an Atchin Tan?
In the Romanichal dialect, Atchin Tan is loosely interpreted as "a stopping place". But for those who lived in these places, they were so much more.
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An Atchin Tan was a sacred place, a generational anchor, a site of birth, of farewell, of celebration, and of cultural continuity.
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At Sound Common, families did not pass through - they returned, generation after generation. Here they raised children, held weddings, honoured their dead, and lived in harmony with the seasons. It was a place to work, yes - but also of ritual, of storytelling, and of deep connection to the land.
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To call it temporary is to misunderstand it entirely. These grounds still hold the footprints of our ancestors long after the fires have gone cold. ​​
"Those Romany families - the values, traditions, and respect - they had so much that we could learn from. Sadly, it's very different now; the Romanies are hard to find".
Resident of Sound Common for the last 80 years
The Heart of our Heritage
The Atchin Tan Project is a deeply rooted, community-led project of remembrance and honour. It does not seek to reclaim a forgotten history - because this history was never lost.
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It has, however, been misrepresented.
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What we believe is that by bringing it forward into public view, where it has always belonged, people will understand that British Romany history is inseparable from, and an integral part of, wider British history.
This is a tribute to the Romanichal families of Sound Common.
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Their voices have endured, even when their presence was denied.
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Their culture is not a footnote in Britain's story - It is a living, breathing strand in the very tapestry of British history
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For centuries, British Romanichal people made homes across the Commons, lanes and woodlands of this country. They lived with the land, not on it. ​​​
At Sound Common, they built lives rich in tradition, craft, kinship and memory.
This Exhibition does not simply preserve that legacy - it honours it.
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Today, a permanent memorial stands on Sound Common - a sacred site where stories were lived, not just told.
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This recognition was made possible through the shared dedication of Pride of Romany and Historic England.
Forced Removals of the 1960's
Romany families who had lived on Sound Common for generations were subjected to systematic, forced removals. Families who had maintained sacred homes and a deep connection to the land were uprooted under local pressure from the authorities.
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Complaints from villagers about Romanies became the pretext for brutal displacement, reflecting entrenched racism and disregard for generational cultural ties.
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The Common was more than shelter - it was a sacred space, passed down through generations.
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Yet authorities treated these homes as expendable, issuing orders that ignored family ties and cultural continuity.
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Evictions were carried out with cold efficiency.
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Legal pretexts were used to justify forcible removal. The removals were structurally racist.
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Authorities deliberated on turning these lands to other uses, prioritising bureaucracy and profit over human lives and cultural heritage.
"We think that the next time it happens, the only thing to do is to tow them off rather than have delay in going to court."
Mr. M. G. Ashworth, Council Clark
"It was only fair to point out that the R.D.C were investigating the necessity of introducing legislation for the control of four areas of common land at Sound, Stapeley, Hankelow and Hough. "
Mr. H. Cockson, Council Member
Families were vilified as outsiders; their sacred connection to the land was ignored. Laws were applied as tools of displacement and control.
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The forced removals caused lasting trauma. ​Families were displaced from sacred homes and fractured communities, erasing centuries of heritage.
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The relentless application of force and legal authority left scars that persist through generations.
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The removals at Sound Common are a dark chapter in British history, exposing racism, brutality and displacement. Yet the resilience of Romany families endures - a testament to the sacred bonds of home, generational continuity, and cultural survival despite systemic oppression.
Andrew Rogers: The Roots of Romany Legacy in Cheshire
Andrew Rogers, born in Nantwich in 1795, stands at the heart of Romanichal history in Cheshire. Land tax records in 1819 show that he paid dues on local land, proving that Romanichal families were not outsiders but active contributors to the community.
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The Rogers', also known as the Rogersons family, built their lives through seasonal labour, crafts, and trading. Living in cottages as well as wagons, tents and trailers. They maintained cultural traditions while taking part in wider society. ​Their story is one of Romanipen, rootedness and continuity.
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Through the Rogers/Rogerson family, the history of Romanichal people in Cheshire is visible not as a story of sole wandering, but also of settlement, contribution, and belonging. Andrew Rogers and his descendants are the roots of a living heritage, intertwined with Sound Common, Nantwich and Cheshire to this day.
