Consultation re facilities at Barbury
Planning Solutions Consulting Ltd has been commissioned to carry out a feasibility study for the Barbury Castle Country Park project which includes a cafe and education facility. During the summer of 2010, Swindon Borough Council received planning approval for facilities that include:
* Indoor and outdoor cafe facilities
* A flexible meeting space that can be used both for educational purposes and also as somewhere for clubs and societies to meet
* Bike racks and bike wash facilities
* Horse tethering pens
* Improved toilet and shower facilities
* A viewing platform for all to enjoy the views across Swindon, the Marlborough downs and the wider North Wessex Downs AONB
Note: As an 'interested local' I have contacted the company undertaking the consultation to ask that information boards be included detailing the site's prehistoric status as an Iron Age hillfort; also, because it is now a designated nature reserve, wildlife (butterflies) and flora.
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'The Invention of Prehistoric Sacred Places' - Talk by Bob Trubshaw
As part of the BBC 'Hands on History - The Ancients' series, author Bob Trubshaw will be at the Central library in Swindon, Wiltshire on Thursday 24 February at 7.30pm for a fascinating talk entitled 'The Invention of Prehistoric Sacred Places'
When we think of prehistoric sacred places just how different are our modern ways of thinking from those of the people who built them? How much has the myth of the English rural idyll - which gained momentum during the era of early motoring - coloured how we think about ruins and the countryside? Just what did the phrase 'sacred places' suggest to early societies?
Bob Trubshaw has written over ten books, including Sacred Places:
Prehistory and popular imagination. He has been visiting Avebury for over thirty years, and has recently moved there. Avebury and Stonehenge will be among the places discussed as he sheds light on such questions about the prehistoric sacred places.
Tickets are £2 (£1.50 concessions) and are available from the First Floor Help point at the Central Library.
http://www.swindon.gov.uk/leisuresport/libraries/libraries-events.htm
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The Cygnus Mystery - talk at Avebury by Andrew Collins
Andrew Collins will be attending the monthly Pagan Moot at 4.00pm in the Red Lion, Avebury on Sunday 6th February. He will be talking about his fascinating book The Cygnus Mystery.
http://aveburymoot.blogspot.com/
I am currently reading this book and, as it says on the cover, it is "an intellectual adventure". Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend but on the basis of reading the book am happy to recommend it.
(Thanks again to Faerygirl for mentioning book on the forum).
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Wiltshire Heritage Museum - Lecture by Jim Leary on Marden Henge
LECTURE: The Marvellous Marden Henge: Recent Work
2:30 pm, Saturday, 05 February, 2011
LECTURE: The Marvellous Marden Henge: Recent Work
A lecture by Jim Leary about the excavations at Marden in 2010 and the discovery there of an extraordinarily well-preserved Neolithic building.
The summer of 2010 saw excavations at one of the largest Neolithic henge monuments in Britain: Marden. Located in the heart of the Vale of Pewsey between Stonehenge and Avebury it does not have any surviving stone settings, but its sheer size is astounding.
The excavation was the culmination of a two-year multi-disciplinary project and provided evidence for a now demolished mound – said to be the second largest in Wiltshire after Silbury Hill. More remarkable, however, was the discovery of an extraordinarily well-preserved Neolithic building – undoubtedly one of the best preserved in Britain outside Orkney.
This lecture will discuss the findings from the project, and explore some reasons of why it was constructed and what it could have been used for.
Jim Leary, FSA, an English Heritage archaeologist, was much involved with the excavations at Marden Henge and also those at Silbury Hill. He is co-author of a new book 'The Story of Silbury Hill'.
Pictures (c) Jim Leary, English Heritage.
Saturday afternoon lectures start at 2.30pm and last approx. one hour.
This lecture is now taking place at Devizes Town Hall, just a short walk from the Museum.
Booking: Essential
Contact the Bookings Secretary:
* Tel: 01380 727369 (10am to 5pm Monday to Saturday)
Cost: £3.00 members, £5.00 non-members
http://www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk/events/index.php?Action=2&thID=603&prev=1
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Coate Development - 'The battle is on again...'
Was out walking locally today down Dayhouse Lane which runs alongside Coate Country Park; also the site of what remains of the Coate stone circle. Dayhouse Lane is a little bit of rural history as, apart from the stone circle, it is also often mentioned by writer Richard Jefferies.
Background:
Redrow and Persimmon Homes originally wanted to build 1,800 homes in the area but plans were refused at a planning appeal in 2009.
In May, developers submitted another application for up to 960 homes, a business park, local centre, school and extension to Great Western Hospital. Objections were received from residents and expert bodies, including the Environment Agency, Natural England and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. A revised application has now been submitted with a 21 day consultation on the revised plans to start on Tuesday. The (Conservative) council will a decision in February or March.
http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/8763730.Fight_is_on_to_save_Coate_again/?ref=rss
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William Cunnington - Commemorating 200 years of one of Britain's first archaeologists
I posted something about William Cunnington, 200 year anniversary of death, at the beginning of December (now removed to avoid duplication). Am glad to see the Wiltshire Heritage Museum are marking the occasion. A 'must visit' to the museum some time very soon.
(From their website)
The Wiltshire Heritage Museum will be commemorating the 200th anniversary of the death of one of Britain's first archaeologists, William Cunnington, by displaying two fragile manuscripts not normally seen by the general public – the original account of the discovery of Bronze Age gold objects from a woman's grave at Upton Lovell, near Warminster, and beautiful watercolour drawings of the objects, painted by surveyor and artist Philip Crocker. Cunnington, who died on 31 December 1810 and is buried at Heytesbury Church, excavated hundreds of Bronze Age barrows in the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site, and discovered the most outstanding group of early Bronze Age finds in Britain, most of which are on permanent display in the Museum.
A wool merchant and linen draper from Heytesbury, William Cunnington became an archaeologist after being told by his doctor to 'ride out or die'. He was fascinated by the prehistoric remains he saw all around him, and in 1803 he began to excavate for Sir Richard Colt Hoare, the owner of the Stourhead Estate and a member of a wealthy banking family. Colt Hoare, who was by his own admission 'barrow mad', provided the finance for the excavations and later published the results in the pioneering History of Ancient Wiltshire - the first account of the archaeology of the County.
Cunnington was a pioneer of excavation and the first scientific archaeologist. He was thorough, paid careful attention to detail when excavating and had a painstaking regard for the facts. He wrote many comprehensive reports and the Museum holds thirteen manuscript books, bound into three volumes, containing the records of his excavations. The objects he excavated were acquired by Sir Richard Colt Hoare in 1818 and in 1883 they were acquired for the Museum where they are still on display and remain vitally important for archaeological research.
Lisa Webb, Curator says, "the Stourhead Collection contains many unique and rare artefacts including fine examples of prehistoric pottery, weapons and jewellery, which form the core of the permanent displays at the Museum. I am delighted that we are able to put on display some of the unique and beautiful drawings made by Philip Crocker which we rarely show visitors because of their fragile nature."
The items will be on display until late January. Usual Museum admission charges apply.
http://www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk/news/?Action=8&id=124&home=1
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Slane By-pass shelved.
It's painful to watch Ireland's troubles; their future looked so bright when they joined the EU; now the N2 Slane By-pass has been shelved as part of the 4-year cost cutting plan.
As reported in the Irish Independent:
" ... there will be no major schemes starting in 2012 or 2013. This means the N5 Ballaghadreen bypass, N4 Downes upgrade, N2 Slane Bypass, N22 Macroom to Ballyvourney, N8/N25 Dunkettle Roundabout and Enniscorthy/New Ross bypass are shelved."
However, the report continues:
...."high priority schemes will proceed as funding becomes available and planning permission is granted".
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5,000 yr old burial site to give up its secrets
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/maghera-tomb-5000yearold-burial-site-to-give-up-secrets-14977234.html
Archaeologists are to dig out a portal tomb in Northern Ireland for the first time in 50 years.
The collapse of Tirnony Dolmen near Maghera has produced a rare opportunity to discover what lies beneath — and exactly how old it is.
Normally portal tombs, which are among the oldest built structures still standing in Northern Ireland, are off limits to excavators and must be preserved.
But after the massive capstone of this portal tomb fell to the ground earlier this year, archaeologists will be able to uncover the secrets it has held for millennia before repairs are carried out.
Tirnony Dolmen is between 5,000 and 6,000 years old, according to Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIIEA) archaeologist Paul Logue.
"After standing in Northern Ireland weather for over 5,000 years some of the tomb's structural stones have begun to crack, causing the capstone to slip," he said.
"Before we start to repair the tomb we will excavate it to ensure that the archaeological material associated with it is recorded ahead of restoration work.
"When the tomb was first built it would have been used for interring the bones of selected members of the local stone age community. This could have included men and women, young and old. Finds from inside similar tombs include pottery and flint tools, possibly left as grave goods for use by the dead in the afterlife.
"We hope to find out more about how this tomb was built, when it was built and how it was used."
Members of the public are invited to come along on Friday afternoons to find out for themselves what has been unearthed. The excavation will also be charted in a blog revealing the latest finds.
Mr Logue said the tomb was originally built by digging out a trench where the upright stones were embedded, packing round these with smaller stones before installing the massive capstone on top of them.
In recent years, the capstone, which weighs between two and a half and three tonnes, had begun to rock, putting pressure on the supporting stones beneath. These then moved, causing the capstone to slide further.
(Acknowledgements to WRAO and Digital Digging for this information)
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Forthcoming NT events at Avebury
1) "Discover Stone Tools Workshop" with Avebury archaeologist Dr Nick Stanshall
The day includes a chance to handle real stone tools from the Alexander Keiller Museum.
Sunday 24th October 10am - 4.00pm, Cost £30
2) Guided Walks through the Avebury Landscape.
Last Sunday of the month starting 31st October,
10.30am - 1.30pm Tickets: £5.00 in advance or pay on the day. Meet at Silbury Hill car park.
3) Wyrd Avebury Ghost Walks
Selected evenings in October, cost £4.75 includes a glass of mulled wine
Call 01672 539250 for details or visit
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/Avebury
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'Britain from the air' - street exhibition in Bath
For anyone who lives within travelling distance of Bath, this street exhibition is well worth catching - in the square by Bath Abbey:
http://britainfromtheair.info/
Sponsored by Ordinance Survey and wecommunic8.com
Wonderful arial poster-photos in wooden stands with thought provoking commentary under each display.
Uffington White Horse caught my eye (as I sat down in the sunshine to listen to a classical guitarist). There was also Abor Low; Dartmoor and Tors; Maiden Castle; the South Downs; St Kilda; the Brecon Beacons; and much, much more.
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Silbury Dig tour - 31st August
This afternoon I attended an English Heritage tour of the digs taking place at Silbury in the Swallowhead Spring Meadow and the next hillside meadow. Many people attended; the dig is looking specifically at the Roman settlement that appeared on a geophysics survey published in an English Heritage report about five years ago. The findings are being reported here http://latersilbury.wordpress.com/
and there are information posters at the site of each individual dig (I didn't count them but about six in all).
The last dig we looked at seemed the most intriguing as may be the site of a well. There were small sarsens buried here, the reason why has not yet been determined but it could have been something simply like field clearance. Bits of Roman pottery lying around - everything found will be subjected to optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) tests.
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"Digging for Britain" - with Alice Roberts
Alice Roberts presents a new four part BBC2 series on archaeology starting 19th August.
Quote:
"Great Britain might be a small country but it has a huge history. Everywhere you stand, there are worlds beneath your feet – and every year hundreds of excavations bring lost treasures to the surface.
These amazing historical excavations are the subject of Digging For Britain, a landmark four-part history series for BBC Two.
Presented by Dr Alice Roberts, Digging For Britain reveals some of the newest finds, research and social history: from excavating the new temple near Skara Brae to preparations for the first sailing of a Bronze Age ship; from uncovering new truths about the richest ever find of Anglo-Saxon treasure to uncovering Shakespeare's first theatre."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/comingup/digging-for-britain/
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Castle Hill (Broad Blunsdon) - footpath changes
This little known hillfort to the north of Swindon is something of an enigma, it is on private land though apparently frequented by local dog walkers. Although privately owned it is under the jurisdiction of English Heritage.
It came to my attention last week as the farm owners want to change the current footpath route and put a fence across the hillfort to protect their pedigree cattle. The footpaths officer from the local Ramblers group has visited and talked to the owners though the outcome is still uncertain. I will try to walk up there myself soon to get a better idea of the visual impact this would have.
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Ashmolean wins the Arts Fund Prize 2010
Ulster Museum came a close second (I'd have been happy to see it win). Even happier that the count has now been checked and verified and the wonderful Ashmolean has actually won.
http://www.artfundprize.org.uk/2010/vote/poll-results-final.php
Many thanks to anyone who voted via the News section on TMA.
EDIT: Tuesday 20th July
Visited the Ashmolean today and was told that although they won the popular vote the prize was actually awarded by the judges to Ulster. No one seemed to mind as the consensus was that the Ulster Museum is brilliant and deserved to win.
Old news really ... but I seemed to have missed it.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10464899
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Passionate about:
Nature; stone circles and all ancient sites that involve walking through unspoilt countryside/being near the sea; islands around the the British Isles, especially those with ancient monuments.
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