Re: Digging Silbury | Forum — The Modern Antiquarian

FourWinds Oct 10, 2006 21:16:52

Replying to Littlestone

Littlestone wrote:

Absolutely not. Unnecessarily adding anything to an object is considered by all professional conservation bodies as bad as taking anything away from it.

I'm talking about things like this concrete pillar - http://www.megalithomania.com/show/image/5651 - when you add something to stop a thing collapsing what should you do? Make it subtle (from a distance) and mark it, or build a redbrick pillar (such as at Ty Newydd) that everyone moans about?

There are stones at Knowth that would easily be considered as original if they weren't marked with OPW. As Knowth is one big circus attraction anyway it probably doesn't matter so much there.

nigelswift Oct 10, 2006 21:40:16

Replying to FourWinds

I believe the new bits of this
http://www.fotime.com/foto/velke/501.jpg
were deliberately not darkened so that future generations would....
I forget what, something daft.
What say you Mr Littlestone, are some conservationists cracked?

Littlestone Oct 10, 2006 21:44:53

Replying to FourWinds

when you add something to stop a thing collapsing what should you do? Make it subtle (from a distance) and mark it, or build a redbrick pillar (such as at Ty Newydd) that everyone moans about?

There are stones at Knowth that would easily be considered as original if they weren't marked with OPW. As Knowth is one big circus attraction anyway it probably doesn't matter so much there.

The operative word in my previous post was 'unnecessarily'. When something has to be added to an object for reasons of conservation the addition should be apparent; if it isn't then the addition falls into the category of 'restoration' (or something even worse, as in the 1968 plaque at Silbury).