Re: Hang on Hang on ! | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

Silbury Hill 180

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When Silbury is tunnelled

Pilgrim Jun 1, 2005 12:15:17

Replying to VenerableBottyBurp

Hello, VenerableBottyBurp,

I know what I would like, and that is to restore the poor bloody hill back to the same condition as it was when I first saw it aged 4 (1963!!!): I don't think that we need to submit every bit of prehistory to archaeological investigation in order to benefit from it - and we certainly don't need to eradicate the natural setting of these artifacts in pursuit of more gravel for more roads and the furtherance of EH's archaeo's reputations etc!
Placing Silbury in a public agenda dominated by celebrity (both "real" and aspirant) and political spin isn't going to be easy, and making it important to a significant percentage of the population is going to be nigh on impossible, so the only way to get any sort of action moving is via open debate on the issue in forums such as this - that way, we can all be pulling in the same direction, forming a game plan etc. What with Littlestone's qualifications, Nigelswifts know-how, BrigantesNation's knowledge and Goffik's mates field, we are heading in the right direction already! Now, if we could just get M'lud Yatesbury to stick his fourpeneth worth in, we might approach critical mass and help get Littlestone's stone rolling!

Peace

Pilgrim

VenerableBottyBurp Jun 1, 2005 14:15:56

Replying to Pilgrim

Hi Pilgrim,

Sadly you have picked a bad year for Silbury - in 1963 the unseen hole in the top -which was not only there then of course, but drawing material down the shaft and creating a dip that in that year was refilled and grassed over by the MoW who kept no record of what they did ! They thought the damage was due to animals so they covered the surface of the whole top of Silbury in chicken wire. This produced two problems one of which was that electronic equipment introduced in 1968 could not be used on the surface as the wire cocked up the signals so at the very point when science could have revealed the hole and saved the disaster of 2000 it was halted in its tracks by chicken wire. Second, the wire bound the surface material together so that as material beneath fell into the shaft, so the turf layer above became suspended. I guess it was a bit like a trampoline, anyway as you know it finnally parted on May 29th 2000 at 16.42

having said all that I agree that an abitary year pre-Atkinson but post the repairs to the 1849 tunnel in 1922-3 would be as good a model Silbury as is achievable considering the mess the 1776 shaft and 1849 tunnel made - a good year would be say when Frank Mackim did his non-intrusive experiments on Silbury - 1958 ? I know you are out there Frank - please correct us if any of this is wrong !

I would say the nearest you can get to 1958 would be to leave it alone or if anything grout - but certainly not rebore the tunnel.

VBB