Silbury Hill 180
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Silbury Hill

Silbury extra!

nigelswift wrote:
"The real problem is the precedent it creates, and not just at Silbury. Anyone with a media-friendly suggestion will have to be taken seriously in the wake of this foreign object being placed where it shouldn't. "

But it doesn't have to be media friendly or involve asking anyone to take the idea seriously. There are loads and loads and loads of people who want to leave all manner of stuff (including paintings!) and bury crystals and all the rest of it at scheduled sites as part of THEIR perceived and self-proclaimed right to interact with places as they see fit. Who in EH will be able to look them in the eye and say don't?

I say media because of the Culture Media And Sports hole that EH fall into. Nowadays everything any politician, commissioner or any other pensioned public worker thinks about is staying in the job, or doing as little damage as they can in case it jeopardises their own personal future. Doing The Right Thing seems to be a long distant memory.

The first one I came across, Lord Douro, rich bloke I honestly never heard of before.. Just before posting I searched again and dug up more [at the bottom].

Appointed September 2003:

"Marquess of Douro OBE
Lord Douro is currently Chairman of Richemont Holdings UK and Framlington Group Ltd. From 1995 to 2000 he was Chairman of Sun Life & Provincial Holdings PLC and served Surrey West as an MEP from 1979 to 1989. He was a Trustee of the Phoenix Trust from 1996 to 2001, Chair of British-Spanish Tertulias from 1993 to 1998 and a Member of Council of the Royal College of Art between 1992 and 1997. He was Founder Chairman of The Patrons of British Art at the Tate Gallery from 1987 to 1990. He has been Chairman of the Textile Conservation Centre in Winchester since 2000."
http://www.culture.gov.uk/Reference_library/Press_notices/archive_2003/DCMS102_2003.htm

Strangely enough, from March 2003, only four months previously...

"Lord Douro, the duke's heir, has said he will withdraw possessions from the house if English Heritage runs it. English Heritage, at least in private, has said it doesn't care if he does."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2003/04/01/do0102.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2003/04/01/ixopinion.html

Just as I was about to leave The Marquis as a shining example of cynicism on my part, I found this beauty:

"Question: Request for 'all papers in DCMS records relating to the decision in 2003 to appoint Lord Douro a Commissioner of English Heritage'. Case Number 54836

http://www.culture.gov.uk/NR/exeres/0011024C-7690-4AA3-A24E-AEAFBD579899.htm

Now I know I'm a cynic, but is this really the sort of chap one would expect to be in charge of decisions affecting our heritage?