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nigelswift N
nigelswift Jun 7, 2007 08:23:31
Replying to Littlestone

There's not a lot more to be said about the Time Capsule being a wrong 'un but I thought I'd put down something about the way it is being defended as "community involvement" as I confess to getting just a bit peed off about that.

We've had seven years of non-community involvement and lack of openness in this project as everyone knows. The EH Chairman himself wrote to me years ago acknowledging that the information flow had been inadequate and saying things would change. They didn't, and the niggardly amount of information and photos coming out of the tunnel are the latest confirmation of that.

I can very well believe that getting the local kids involved at this very late stage is to do with UNESCO's requirements for cultural involvement. Indeed, unkind persons might think it was a quick and easy stunt to enable a hasty tick box to be ticked in the next report to them. But its no more than a token, seven years too late (and completely ill-judged as it happens). Shame the tick boxes aren't more specific and don't ask - "And has the public been kept fully informed throughout?"

Further, let it not go unchallenged that openness and community sharing is merely something recently required or originates only from UNESCO. It has been called for by the public, owed to them and withheld from them for 7 years. That should have been enough but wasn't. And even if the public are to be dismissed, the whole drift of professional sentiment has been along the same lines as what the public has been calling for - see the Institute of Field Archaeologists's code, the European Association of Archaeologists's (EAA) code of practice and the International Council of Monuments (ICOMOS) statement of ethics. They don't call for schoolchildren's paintings in scheduled monuments but they do imply public involvement. Supplying the former, too late, and presenting it as fulfilling the latter is completely untenable IMO and needs radically re-thinking. Increasing the number of photos from inside the tunnel from 6 to 106 next Monday would be an excellent start.

V VenerableBottyBurp
VenerableBottyBurp Jun 7, 2007 18:46:08
Replying to nigelswift

First off I wasn't defending the time capsule at all. Secondly, while the UNESCO rule change may have something to do with the suggestion of a time capsule, I don't know enough about it to comment. What I can say is the education initiative was a goal long before the hole was noticed in Silbury and it is part of a number of initiatives that are vital to the future safeguarding and recovery of history of the site. Which should be clear from the next point.

Lastly, I hope I need say no more to underline the unique importance of getting the local community onside than relay some stop press. Representations re the time capsule suggestion, have been made by locals. Who to and how many I can't say, but I do believe the source I heard it from, so don't lets snipe at the best positioned allied troops eh ?

Living in the WHS doesn't do much for locals, but like JFK ask yourself what they might do for their country.

VBB