Yep, that’s a reality check.
Annoyingly, this has all come 30 years too late. Once, there was a wonderful time when me and my mad friend with the landrover and the winch would have gone down there for the afternoon and all would now be well.
Annoyingly, age robs us of much fun. Instead, I have to think that this is merely one of thousands of instances, as all those Bronze Age yews next to churches will reveal. Also, the pulling down of a cross would cause such a fuss that the reasoning for it wouldn’t be heard, and the perpetrators would be widely regarded as evil black magicians. It would probably do harm to the cause of ancient site preservation in general.
Sadly, the only route is the cautious route. Lean on the archaeology service and the planners very gently. Approach the local vicar and parish council with humility and humour. It’s the only way, but I wish it wasn’t because somewhere along the line some closed-minded and utterly insensitive Christians of the very worst kind have been involved.
