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Silbury Hill

Let an open and transparent debate continue ​…​…

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tjj Jan 5, 2008 01:04:37

I was surprised to see the 'Heart of the Matter' thread closed today on the thought-provoking post by Moss - I am sure she didn't intend it to be the 'final word' but rather another strand of the multi-dimensional Silbury Debate.

I have heard it speculated recently that Silbury may have been supported at its base by sarsen stones as it probably had a water filled ditch or moat around it. It was further speculated that the Romans may have pillaged these stones to use as part of the foundation for the Bath Road which runs along-side of Silbury and that the ditch is now filled with slippage material from the mound itself. I can only listen and wonder because I am not an archaeologist or a historian so am pretty much open-minded to all ideas. My point really being that Silbury has been used, abused, venerated and revered down the centuries - not just in the past few hundred years.

Finally, we have some sense of Silbury being left to 'rest in peace' when the current work by EH is completed but it can never fully be what it was because we will never really know what that was.

It is true that as a bureaucratic organisation English Heritage has not been seen to be fully accountable on several issues. I understand that Heritage Action has been busy behind the scenes writing letters and it would be really good for other interested people if some of that work could be published on this open forum. On the back of recent input by HA members and others, I have written to English Heritage asking for their reasons for using synthetic bags for the chalk infills and have also emailed my MP and the Department of Culture , Media and Sport asking questions about the use (or possibly mis-use) of the Silbury budget by EH. The DCMS are obliged to answer my enquiry within 20 working days. My communications have been sent with my full name and address and I will be happy to post any responses I receive on this open forum.

I hope that an ongoing rational debate can continue and am grateful to people like Moss, and others, for their continuing passion on one hand and intellectual rationale on the other.

tjj (june jackson)

T tjj
tjj Jan 9, 2008 21:27:23
Replying to tjj

A few days ago I submitted a post to say I had emailed my MP (cc: Dept of Culture, Media and Sport) asking about the accountability of English Heritage, specifically with regard to the management of their budget for the Silbury conservation project. Here is her reply which I reproduce in full.

Quote:
Thank you for your email of 1 January about the English Heritage work at Silbury Hill. I was most concerned to learn that the websites you have visited question the accountability of English Heritage and the conservation work being undertaken at Silbury. I am not sure from your email what in particular is the problem, apart from the need to be fully accountable to the general public. I am not familiar with English Heritage's charter, but presume they have a board to whom they are accountable. The accountability the organisation therefore has to the general public is not necessarily complete disclosure of every decision they take.

Before I make enquiries on behalf of constituents, I like to be as fully aware of the issues as possible. This is so I can ask specific questions of the organisations I am contacting, as my experience is that a general letter receives unspecific answers and is often unsatifactory for the constituent. I have had a look through the English Heritage website and was impressed with the amount of information about the excavations of Silbury Hill. There are 26 regular updates of the work, three videos (although there is some repetition in these) as well as a comprehensive five part description of the history of the hill and the current archaeological work. I found the third video very helpful in giving a picture of the work being undertaken by the contractors and English Heritage's reaction to it. There are other sections on the site, such as frequently asked questions and an email address for members of the public to ask their questions.

On viweing the site for the first time, my response was that it is a very open website giving a great deal of information to the public. I am therefore at a loss to know what else English Heritage should be supplying. Perhaps you could let me have the addresses of the archaeological websites so that I can read the comments? I have tried to find them via Google but had no success.

I look forward to hearing from you

With best wishes

Yours sincerely

Anne Snelgrove MP
Labour MP for South Swindon
End Quote

She has clearly done some homework which I respect and would like to comply with her request in the last paragraph and send her the website addresses of both Heritage Action and TMA. Do I need to obtain permission from Nigel Swift and TMA Eds before I do this. Perhaps you could advise me on any protocol that should be followed.

june (tjj)

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TMA Ed Jan 19, 2008 11:16:14
Replying to tjj

As per the above notice we are watching the forums closely. Please count to ten before responding to posts. As we have seen on many occassions subtle nuances are often lost on internet forums and misunderstandings can easily arise.
The subject of Silbury Hill and the work undertaken there by English Heritage is a sensitive subject with many different view points having been taken here.
We're sure that everybody here wants the best for Silbury. Let's keep it constructive.

Thanks

TMA Eds