Underrated?

Herefordshire 2

Image by thesweetcheat

nigelswift Apr 29, 2004 09:14:23

Considering they're so prominent, and obviously sacred I'd have thought, and geologically the oldest part of England (I read somewhere) the Malverns don't seem to feature very prominently here.

EH have recently done some work on them (see their site, search on Malvern) and it seems that part of the earthworks, Shire Ditch, is much older than previously thought (Rhiannon posted a news item about it).

That being so, I reckon someone with strong legs ought to get up there and suss it all out and post some pictures...
(Take a packed lunch, and NO eating the mushrooms.)

TomBo Apr 29, 2004 09:15:59

Replying to nigelswift

wrong season, surely!

TomBo Apr 29, 2004 09:39:24

Replying to nigelswift

"geologically the oldest part of England"

I'd heard that Lewissian Gniess (sp?) was the oldest stone in England.

nigelswift Apr 29, 2004 10:13:50

Replying to nigelswift

BTW Tom, any thoughts why there's so few monuments in the Midlands. I had the vague impression it was because it was wooded lowland with few suitable stones, but that's not true, I can think of loads of hills littered with huge boulders just asking to be used so that can't be the reason.

morfe Apr 29, 2004 10:28:37

Replying to nigelswift

Never underrated here, for it is the very home of me, and was of course the last stronghold of the last pagan king of England. Still trying to source a copy of the following film (worth a read if you have the time) as it's burning my memory moreso.

http://www.elidor.freeserve.co.uk/pendasfen.htm

Hard core of Malverns is 680 million years old (Pre Cambrian), igneous metamorphic rock. Here's a link to a special report

http://www.bbc.co.uk/herefordandworcester/realmedia/2003/04/malverns_quarrying.ram

And imagery:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/rocks/programmes/prog2.shtml

British Camp is a world feature in my opinion, and the numerous holy springs/wells still taste as good as I remember. One called 'Eye Well' has specific healing properties, according to legend. It's no great leap of imagination to imagine how awesome this place was in the middle Bronze Age, rising out of the Severn Plains majestically, abundant with all the the things needed for life and luxury, affording views to Wales and the Cotswolds. It is verily the roof of England with Sabrina running by.

morfe Apr 29, 2004 10:36:03

Replying to nigelswift

I'll see if I can get some Shire Ditch pics tomorrow old chap.