Stonehenge and its Environs 134
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Stonehenge and its Environs

The Secrets of Stonehenge

nigelswift N
nigelswift Jun 5, 2009 13:11:02
Replying to Littlestone

"Actually, I was quite taken aback by TR's very strong comment about Atkinson (first time I've heard it said publicly in such a way) and wondered if it was his own idea or something he'd got from discussions with the archeos."

The dehabilitation of Atkinson has been a deliberate process, and traceable over time. Nothing was said for decades - I presume because half the blame was down to EH's predecessors who should have controlled him. Then a few years ago four people in EH let rip in an article in British Archaeology and the poor sod was finally openly demonised, not without reason but late.

Did you know when he'd done at Silbury he left the blokes to fill it and didn't go back to supervise them? Apparently they didn't give a damn how they filled it, and partly didn't, and on cold days they ripped down the timber that had been put to line the walls and made bonfires in there? And no-one checked.

L Littlestone
Littlestone Jun 5, 2009 18:24:38
Replying to nigelswift

Did you know when he'd done at Silbury he left the blokes to fill it and didn't go back to supervise them? Apparently they didn't give a damn how they filled it, and partly didn't, and on cold days they ripped down the timber that had been put to line the walls and made bonfires in there? And no-one checked.
Yup, but what I really don't get is just how anyone can be so unprofessional - keeping his Stonehenge research under his bed and losing stuff from his shenanigans at Silbury. Have heard it suggested that he was intentionally keeping things under wraps but I just dunno. Very strange.

T tjj
tjj Jun 5, 2009 19:34:24
Replying to nigelswift

nigelswift wrote:
The dehabilitation of Atkinson has been a deliberate process, and traceable over time. Nothing was said for decades - I presume because half the blame was down to EH's predecessors who should have controlled him. Then a few years ago four people in EH let rip in an article in British Archaeology and the poor sod was finally openly demonised, not without reason but late.

Did you know when he'd done at Silbury he left the blokes to fill it and didn't go back to supervise them? Apparently they didn't give a damn how they filled it, and partly didn't, and on cold days they ripped down the timber that had been put to line the walls and made bonfires in there? And no-one checked.

I followed the 2007 Silbury conservation project with great interest I have to say I did not know the above. It makes my skin shiver to think about it, such appalling arrogance on behalf of Atkinson.

Sixties footage of the excavation work was heart breaking to watch and in the context of the above information it has to be said that the conservation workers struggled, not just against the wettest summer in decades, but other tremendous unknown odds. Everyone agrees that EH fell short in many ways but the fact that Silbury still stands, the scar now 'healed' is a credit to the team who undertook the work.

Here's to Silbury on misty, summer mornings.

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