Appeal for advice

Cheetham Close 2

Image by treehugger-uk

Paulson Feb 13, 2013 17:28:12

Hi Folks,

I live near to Cheetham Close in Lancashire, which is a bronze age complex in imminent danger of disappearing if something isn't done soon.

Has anyone ever been involved with a campaign to conserve/reconstruct a megalithic site ? Any advice, guidance or opinions on the merits of such a project would be gratefully received.

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1248/cheetham_close.html

bladup Feb 13, 2013 17:31:23

Replying to Paulson

Paulson wrote:

Hi Folks,

I live near to Cheetham Close in Lancashire, which is a bronze age complex in imminent danger of disappearing if something isn't done soon.

Has anyone ever been involved with a campaign to conserve/reconstruct a megalithic site ? Any advice, guidance or opinions on the merits of such a project would be gratefully received.

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1248/cheetham_close.html

Why what's happening there? I've been a couple of times myself so know the place a little.

Sanctuary Feb 13, 2013 17:50:51

Replying to Paulson

Paulson wrote:

Hi Folks,

I live near to Cheetham Close in Lancashire, which is a bronze age complex in imminent danger of disappearing if something isn't done soon.

Has anyone ever been involved with a campaign to conserve/reconstruct a megalithic site ? Any advice, guidance or opinions on the merits of such a project would be gratefully received.

http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/1248/cheetham_close.html

Hi Paulson,
I'm in the middle of doing this with the ruined Craddock Moor stone circle on Bodmin Moor. I contacted EH directly and they in turn put me in touch with the Heritage At Risk Officer for the area. We had a meeting on site a couple of weeks ago now where she was very sympathetic towards my views and suggestions. She agreed in principal to what I was suggesting and will be notifying me of their decision in due course. Until that happens there's not much more that I can say, other than well done for taking the time for not only seeing a problem but being prepared to do something about it.

Sanctuary Feb 15, 2013 20:30:29

Replying to Paulson

While we are on the subject of sites becoming damaged/unkept, I meant to mention Trethevy Quoit, or rather the field it is situated in.
When the EH rep was with me at Minions to check out the Craddock Moor stone circle she had time to kill afterwards so we went to see Trethevy Quoit just down the road from Minions.
Jeepers, what a state the field is in right up and into the base of the cairn surrounding the quoit. The reason? Horses, loads of them!
The monument is on private land but with allowed access for the public and at the moment you can turn an ankle over easily due to the severe cutting up of the surface (well it's just muddy earth now!).
The rep took pix but was quite shocked by the mess, as was I, because I've never seen any stock in the field before. Much more importantly though the quoit is being used as a rubbing stone for the horses and to do so they have to walk up the small cairn bank. That's bad enough but it frightens the life out of me because the structure I firmly believe has reached its point of no return and can't afford to make any further movement. I had the EH engineer out last year to inspect it after it moved 3/4" in one year. The main support orthostat is now 21.9 inches out of the perpendicular which is horrific for a stone just 10'-3" tall.
I didn't have my own camera with me but will visit again tomorrow to take my own pix to see if anything has been done since it was reported. I doubt it has because Dave Cane rang me earlier to ask if I'd seen the state of the place and has himself reported it.
It is quite a large field but the silly sod who owns it has not put up an electric fence to block the quoit off so consequently the horses go right past it to the gate to make friends with passers by who make a fuss of them.