Re: Newgrange: quartz and granite wall | Forum

moss Jun 26, 2016 09:33:34

Replying to gjdgjd

Well I wondered about Wayland's Smithy, which was restored in the 1960s, see the 'before' photo @ http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/146363/waylands_smithy.html

and how it looks today, James Dyer said "There seems to have been a rather more formalised 'restoration' in which the flanks of the barrow were sharply revetted to form walls. "

It looks good today, a truly 'romantic' interpretation of a long barrow but it has been visually altered by later hands, but then as it had two phases in its construction should we complain or allow history to add other layers of interpretation?

postman Jun 26, 2016 16:40:15

Replying to moss

I still think Unesco withdrawing its world heritage status until there is a commitment to do something about it is still a very extreme measure isn't it?
and I still don't want it taken apart again, it doesn't happen often but I agree with Gladman, it should be said it might not have looked like this, but not torn apart again. leave it in peace, even if you could prove how it looked.
Perhaps that's an extreme view of my own, maybe it is, but I cant help how I feel.
Perhaps the white stones were a wall blocking off views of the entrance and carved stones, I still want it left alone.

gjdgjd Jun 28, 2016 10:45:43

Replying to moss

I take the point but I think it is a matter of degree. For me Wayland's Smithy would be at the acceptable end of the scale of "interpretive/(mistaken) restoration". Previously the unacceptable end point for me was Knossos but Newgrange goes way beyond that. You can see the sort of issues raised by the Newgrange restoration in the first post (12pointer) in this thread. People have faith in experts doing things right - and when they have got it so badly wrong corrections need to be made. Probably I would settle for leaving it alone as a warning to others to be careful - provided that somewhere in the visitor centre was a decent CGI showing one (or more) of the more plausible alternatives. All I got on my tour was "...not everyone agrees with this interpretation...". I'd be interested in who does agree with it and I'd be interested to hear views on alternatives.