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From the Western Morning News (thisisdevon.co.uk)

“More than 40 rare Bronze Age ingots from Devon have been given to the Royal Albert Museum in Exeter.

The ingots, part of a shipment salvaged in 1991, was handed over by the Receiver of Wreck, Sophia Exelby, at a ceremony yesterday.

More than 40 ingots recovered from an underwater hiding place were donated to the museum.

The ingots were discovered by the South West Maritime Archaeological Group in the Erme Estuary in 1991.

The ingots vary from 10 to 20cm in diameter.

Experts said they might have been in the Erme estuary as a result of a vessel capsizing while trading along the coast between Cornwall and Devon.

John Allan, museum curator, said: “We regard this group of ingots as a very significant discovery and are delighted that they are now at Exeter Museum, where a selection of them are displayed.”

Ms Exelby said: “We are very pleased that these ingots will be displayed in a museum so close to the find site.

“They were a very exciting find for the diving group and their placement in the museum is an excellent outcome for everyone.”

guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,722701,00.html
Maev Kennedy, arts and heritage correspondent
Monday May 27, 2002
The Guardian

A time capsule from the stone age, described by English Heritage chief archaeologist David Miles as unique in Britain and of international importance, is threatened by a combination of changing sea levels, dredging and trawling, and the wakes of boats and ferries crossing the Solent straits between the Hampshire coast and the Isle of Wight – as well as the effects of the weekend’s gales.
Parts of the site lost six inches of protective silt and peat this winter alone.

On the sea bed, which was dry land until 6,000BC, prehistoric stone tools still lie where they were made or dropped, among the roots of giant oak trees. The first finds, including flint arrows and knives, recently brought up by archaeologist divers, are so perfectly preserved they look like modern replicas.

The first excavators were blue lobsters, which archaeologists gradually realised were kicking out ancient man made stone tools, as they dug themselves into the muddy seabed.

Tree roots and branches have come up with the marks of stone tools. Finds of organic material, including timber, leather, and animal and possibly human remains, are confidently expected, preserved in the deep layers of silt and peat.

Further surveying and excavation work planned by the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology has become a giant piece of rescue archaeology, as material is laid bare by every tide: once exposed to air, any organic material starts decaying instantly.

Archaeologists had believed all trace of human habitation had been swept away in the inundation which created the Isle of Wight. Recent discoveries prove that the land flooded more gradually, as the sea broke in through the sand bars protecting the salt marshes. However, the flooding was fast enough to force the rapid abandonment of habitation sites, flint working sites, and killing sites where prey species were trapped, slaughtered and butchered for thousands of years: the date of the finds ranges from stone hand axes 30,000 years old, to the flint tools made by the last inhabitants before the water broke through.

On the Isle of Wight, county archaeologists Frank Basford and Rebecca Loading are patrolling hundreds of endangered sites in the inter-tidal zones, recording and recovering artefacts which include ancient causeways and fish traps, and a tangle of Roman rope in the mud of a modern harbour.

More modern objects from countless shipwrecks are also at risk. Recent finds include a syringe from the medicine chest of a 17th century ship’s surgeon, for injecting mercury into the urethra of any luckless sailor who had contracted syphilis.

English Heritage will be monitoring and grant aiding the work, as an Act of Parliament, which becomes law on July 1, extends its powers to cover maritime archaeology.

This was in the ‘Metro’ this morning

thisislondon.co.uk/dynamic/news/top_story.html?in_review_id=585366&in_review_text_id=552901

Skeleton may be Stonehenge ‘king‘

by Geraint Smith Science Correspondent
The richest early Bronze Age burial site ever found has been discovered within a short walk of Stonehenge, archaeologists revealed today.

It is possibly the grave of the man who ordered the rebuilding of the previously wooden monument in stone. It contains the earliest metal knives yet known in Britain, as well as finely-crafted arrowheads, gold ornaments, butchery tools and ritual stone versions of an archer’s tools.

The grave was discovered near the village of Boscombe Down during work on a new school.

The shapes of the objects suggest strongly that it was dug in about 2,300BC – exactly contemporary with the rebuilding of Stonehenge, which lies less then 30 minutes’ walk away.

In all, 100 objects were found with the skeleton of a mature, well-built man. “We don’t know whether there were kings at this time in Britain,” said Dr Andrew Fitzpatrick, of Wessex Archaeologythe unit which found the grave. “It is possible, though, that this man was alive when the stones were added to Stonehenge.

“This would have been a small community in which appearance was everything, and this man would have been like a peacock,” he says. The knives predate by several hundred years the oldest metal tools known in this country, said Dr Fitzpatrick, who added: “The arrowheads were scattered in the grave, not as though they had been laid onto his body by the mourners.”

British Archaeology news
Issue 64, April 2002.

An early Bronze Age timber circle containing an inner ring of totem poles set around a deep, sacred pool is thought to have once stood at the head of the Kilmartin Valley in Argyll, site of one of Scotland’s richest concentrations of prehistoric ritual monuments.

Post-excavation analysis of the pits and postholes found when the site was excavated in the 1990s (BA November 1997) has concluded that the timber circle was far more unusual than was initially thought. The circle stood on a terrace overlooking the valley; and at its heart was a large hollow nearly 7 metres wide and 2 metres deep. Now full of peat, the hollow must have contained standing water over a long period of time.

Around this pool was an inner ring of post-holes, thought to have once held totems. At the base of one was a cremation burial under a stone. From the outer ring of 30 oak posts, some 47 metres in diameter, a timber-lined processional avenue appears to have snaked down to the valley floor.

Clare Ellis, in charge of post-excavation at the Edinburgh firm AOC Archaeology, said the pool was likely to have been a ‘votive pool’ – a phenomenon thought to be unparalleled at any other known stone or timber circle in Britain. No metalwork was found in the pool, but offerings of ‘organic materials’ such as sacrificial animals could have been made, from which no evidence has survived. Traces of wood in the pool may have belonged to a fence.

In and around the timber circle were six contemporary cyst burials. In one, a woman in her 20s or 30s was buried with a decorated food vessel. The decoration on the pot had been created by pressing a fingernail repeatedly into the wet clay.

Traces of much earlier monuments were also found underlying the circle. One end of an early Neolithic cursus – a ritual procession monument – was uncovered at the edge of the terrace, a place with a magnificent view across the Kilmartin Valley. The massive structure, some 45 metres wide, was defined not by banks and ditches but by hundreds of close-set oak posts. By the time the circle was built some 1,500 years later, these posts had no doubt disappeared; but the memory of the sacred importance of the site had probably survived. Also found were a number of late Mesolithic cooking pits containing charcoal dated to about 4,500 BC, perhaps marking the site of an overnight camp.

Surviving monuments in the Kilmartin Valley include a ‘linear cemetery’ of Bronze Age cairns, several standing stones, a stone circle and numerous elaborate rock art panels.

britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba64/news.shtml#item3

From the ‘thisiswiltshire’ site archive, 4/05

COUNCILLORS in Marlborough have called for a meeting with the College to discuss a plan for proposed landscaping work, which could affect the setting of the ancient mound in the school grounds.

The huge mound is believed to be as old as Silbury Hill five miles away and, similarly, its origin is unknown.

Marlborough College has submitted a planning application to enhance an area known as The Wilderness at the foot of the mound by creating new footpaths and removing unwanted trees, which the school claims, spoil the view of the mound.

Town councillors want a meeting to discuss the plan and see if the school will agree to let the public have access to the mound when pupils are away.

Coun Bryan Castle told Monday’s meeting of the town council planning committee: “The mound is a scheduled ancient monument and what happens in The Wilderness affects the layout and viewing of the mound.”

Coun Castle said it was the mound which gave rise to the motto on the Marlborough town coat of arms and the legend that Merlin is buried there.

Wednesday, 2 January, 2002, 13:06 GMT
Trust defends Tor work

The National Trust has defended a decision to use concrete for a new footpath to the top of Glastonbury Tor, Somerset.
More than £300,000 has been found to pay for the restorations at the Tor.

Huge visitor numbers have led to erosion on the existing route up the hill – the Isle of Avalon of ancient legend.

But conservationists say the path should be re-laid with wood chippings, not concrete.

news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1738000/1738766.stm

An ancient hill figure carved into the South Downs has sprouted a 20-foot penis overnight in what experts say could be a bizarre May Day celebration.

The discovery has been made by the Long Man Morris Men who are visiting The Long Man of Wilmington to celebrate May Day.

The 231-foot high figure, located near Eastbourne, East Sussex, is causing giggles among tourists who were photographing him in all his new glory.

Sussex Archaeological Society, which owns the site, said the appendage could have been part of the ancient Beltaine Celtic Festival. Others observers, including a white witch, said it might have been part of a bizarre May Day fertility ritual.

The adult attachment has been painted on the grass and has not damaged the figure cut into the chalk hillside by Druid settlers and which attracts thousands of visitors each year.

Morris Man Norman Hopson said: “We first noticed it after our first dance this morning, but I promise it had nothing to do with us. I last visited it four weeks ago but nothing had been added.”

Henry Warner, a director at the Archaeological Society, said: “This could have been a mindless act of vandalism or it could have been something to do with the Celtic Beltaine Festival. In the Celtic system the festival marks the start of the warm part of the year and was traditionally held at the beginning of May.

“Alternatively it could have been a fertility ritual. The figure may originally have had an appendage, like at Cerne Abbas, but the Victorians who did not approve of such things may have taken it off. But, whoever did this, we can never condone vandalism at the Long Man.”

White witch Kevin Carlyon, head of the British Coven of White Witches, said: “I am up in arms over this because I have always said that the Long Man was a woman.

“I take chaps with problems to the Long Man at Wilmington and women to Cerne Abbas, but this makes a mockery of that. I am going to put a spell on whoever did this, but I would not be surprised if there were quite a few naughty romps at the Long Man tonight.”

Story filed: 12:23 Wednesday 1st May 2002
Originally published at the following URL:
ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_579301.html

Stonehenge hopes for deep road tunnel
By Ben Webster, Transport Correspondent


THE Government will consider making a road tunnel near Stonehenge much deeper than originally planned to avoid damaging neolithic and Bronze Age remains.
The Highways Agency, which manages England’s trunk roads, has admitted that its previous proposal to excavate and then cover a 1.2-mile ditch only 200 yards from the stones could damage burial mounds and medieval field boundaries in the area. Ministers pledged three years ago to bury the A303, the heavily congested holiday route to Devon, where it passes the World Heritage Site. In 1989 the Commons Public Accounts Committee described Stonehenge’s traffic-snarled setting as a national disgrace.

Stonehenge lies between the A303 and the A344, close to the junction of the two roads. Under the plan for the site, the A344 would be closed, the visitor centre relocated out of sight of the stones and the A303 turned into a dual carriageway.

The “cut and cover” tunnelling method was chosen because it was estimated to be £20 million cheaper than boring a much deeper tunnel. Under the original plan, engineering works so near to the standing stones would have blighted the area for three years. However, the Highways Agency has now agreed to reconsider the costs and benefits of boring the tunnel and has asked the contractors Costain and Balfour Beatty to produce a report by July.

“It would be cheaper to do a ‘cut and cover’ but there is an issue over the extra environmental gain from a bored tunnel,” Ed Bradley, the Highway Agency’s project manager, said. He added that evidence was emerging that bored tunnels were cheaper than originally thought, and that the extra cost was likely to be closer to £10 million than £20 million.

However, the Highways Agency is resisting pressure from heritage and environmental groups to make the tunnel twice as long as planned because this could double the overall cost of £125 million for the seven-mile project.

Kate Fielden, an archaeologist advising the Council for the Protection of Rural England, said that a “cut and cover” tunnel could destroy a group of burial mounds at the western entrance to the tunnel. She said: “‘Cut and cover’ would change the landscape right beside Stonehenge. A bored tunnel would be better but the one currently proposed is far too short.”

Ms Fielden said that Stonehenge was a national treasure, but the Government wanted to do a cheap deal for a new dual carriageway even if it meant damaging two thirds of the historical area around the stones.

A public inquiry into the scheme is likely to be held next year and construction could start in 2005, with the tunnel and new Winterbourne Stoke bypass opening in 2008.

thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,2-258161,00.html

Rare Bronze Age metal working site found on Eigg
A Bronze Age metal working site, one of only about 30 known in Britain, has been excavated at Galmisdale on the island of Eigg. The site – in the shelter of a large earthfast boulder – was found by chance when an islander, Brigg Lancaster, was trying to bury his cat.

Digging deep, Mr Lancaster struck archaeological layers. Having some experience of metal working, he recognised the fragmentary remains as crucibles and clay casting moulds. A team of archaeologists from the Scottish Royal Commission happened to be surveying the island at the time and visited the site, which was later excavated by Trevor Cowie of the National Museum of Scotland.

Moulds for at least two socketed axes and a knife were found – dated typologically to about 1000-800 BC – as well as a blue glass bead, a small bronze offcut and quantities of charcoal. According to Mr Cowie, the site could represent the visit of an itinerant smith to a Bronze Age village, marked by hut circle remains nearby.

Also found at the foot of the boulder was a cache of over 40 flint flakes and tools thought to be of Neolithic or Early Bronze Age date, testifying to the importance of the boulder as an enduring feature of the landscape over several millennia. Excavations will probably continue this summer.

Meanwhile, among the discoveries made by the Royal Commission survey of the island was an Iron Age roundhouse giving access, perhaps once by steps, into an underground cave, possibly an oracle site. The cave, extremely difficult to reach in a cliff of scree, contained two ‘double-decker bus-sized’ slabs of rock facing one another – like the ‘thighs of a mother goddess’, according to the Commission’s surveyor David Cowley – with some bits of walling between to create a squared-off area Iron Age underground ritual sites, such as Mine Howe in Orkney, recall the importance of the ‘gods of the underworld’ in Iron Age society.

from British Archaeology Feb 02
britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba63/news.shtml#item2

Turf war over Byers’ white horse

politics.guardian.co.uk/localgovernment/story/0,9061,675788,00.html

A white horse, 100 metres high, is to be carved into the chalk downs at Folkestone to greet Channel tunnel users because Stephen Byers, the transport secretary, believes it will “boost local pride”.

Objections by environment groups, including the government’s advisers English Nature, were brushed aside because Mr Byers considers the horse would have an emotional and symbolic value for the town.

A 2,000-year-old sword and an ancient mirror are to be returned to the islands where a farmer found them.

He was working with a tractor in a potato field on the Isles of Scilly, off Cornwall, when he uncovered a burial site.

see the story
news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1858000/1858788.stm

Sadly, another protester on Stanton Moor died last week in a fire. More on the story can be found here:

news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1861000/1861573.stm

This article appeared in the weekend Scotsman a couple of weeks ago (I’ve had to abridge it to fit within 4096 characters)- looks like a replica of the stone may stand once again. Liked the quote from the minister at Stenness- ‘he was the god of war and bloodshed’!- aye- we’ll all burn in hell for it ;)
‘Orkney resident Morag Robertson has been at the forefront of a local campaign to
restore the prehistoric Stone of Odin for ancient handfasting ceremonies.
“People come from all over the world to see and touch the Neolithic stones,”
says Robertson. “Give them a marriage ceremony to go with it and you’ve got
a 21st-century goldmine.”
The ancient site was where Neolithic people celebrated growth and newly wed couples prepared for a fruitful union by joining hands through the hole and swearing an oath.
The tradition was brought to an end a century ago by a farmer who smashed the stone in a fit of pique when couples refused to stop walking over his land
But in Orkney, where 5,000 years of history still influences everyday life,
tradition is not wiped out that easily. Couples still go to the Standing Stones.
Recently there has been a growing interest from abroad in
travelling to Scotland for handfasting ceremonies. Orkney Islands Council
have recognised the tourism potential. They recently agreed to put money
aside to replace the Odin Stone.
Councillor John Brown, the chairman of the committee in charge of the
county’s heritage is also a geologist. “This is a World Heritage site so we can’t
put in a replica because we have no definite proof of what we’re trying to
duplicate. There’s only an old sketch. The nearest we can get is a slab from
the original sandstone bedrock that the other standing stones came from, but
we’ll have to put a notice there saying ‘substitute’.”
“Lets get on with it,” says Robertson, who is envisaging a new craze for the
21st-century.
Stenness minister Tom Clark is appalled at the idea of oaths being taken in
the name of Odin. “He was a god of war and bloodshed. The Kirk certainly
wouldn’t be involved in wedding packages connected with any of this.”
Local historian Peter Leith disagrees. “The folk who put up the stone were
prehistoric,” he says. “The name Odin only came with the Vikings later, so the
ceremonies go back far further, and anyway, the Kirk must have been part of
it a couple of centuries ago, because oral tradition says to break the troth you
had to go into the Stenness kirk together and come out through separate
doors.” ‘

The following story was reported at..
unison.ie/corkman/stories.php3?ca=40&si=673169&issue_id=6727

A KILNAMARTYRA farmer got a little more than he bargained for when he discovered two underground tunnels last week whilst making a gallop to train his greyhounds.

The tunnels situated directly beside a ditch are over a meter in height and particularly well preserved.

“I was told the tunnels were over 1,500 years old. I plan to make the tunnels safe and leave them there for future generations.

“I have marked the tunnels into a map and the Archeologists are sending me out a plaque to erect near the tunnels,” said John.

Ursula Egan, of the Cork Archeological Survey group, which is based in University College Cork, visited the site.

Ms Egan described the tunnels as ‘souterrains‚, the French word for an underground chamber.

“They are in a remarkable condition and probably date back to the time of Saint Patrick making them about 1,500 years old.

Daily Telegraph Obituaries
(Filed: 22/12/2001)

AUBREY BAILEY, who has died aged 89, was perhaps best known for the work he directed at Stonehenge between 1958 and 1964

The work involved re-erecting, in their original position, stones that had fallen or become dislodged within recorded history – the earliest record dating from 1690.

The main “Trilithon” stones, weighing some 45 tons, had to be encased in a further 15 tons of steel so they could be lifted into position. To do this, one of Britain’s largest cranes – designed to lift aircraft – was borrowed from the Ministry of Defence. Bailey’s work at Stonehenge brought him to public attention and he was amused to receive a letter from an admirer in America addressed simply to “Mr Stonehenge, London”. The nickname stuck for many years.

Thomas Aubrey Bailey was born on January 20 1912 at Hanley, Staffordshire.

In 1953 he was promoted head of the Ancient Monuments branch, with a staff of 1,400. Boundlessly enthusiastic, he led by example, and combined his love of motoring (he owned a series of Armstrong Siddeleys) with his work by travelling to the 300 ancient monuments in his care as often as he could.

Full account

I made a field visit to this site yesterday in the hope that this stone had not been destroyed in the process of the modern houses been built here- and found it- 26 years after the OS reported it gone! Contacted the RCAHMS as their database states that no trace of this stone can now be found;

Yesterday I took the opportunity to try and find Niddrie House Standing
Stone (NMRS Number: NT27SE 199). I noted from the CANMORE database that the
last entry for this stone states;
‘No trace in an area of modern housing development’- OS report August 1975.
However, as fate would have it, I missed the bus stop and when turning into
the terminus, noticed the stone next to the pavement. It appears that the
map co-ords on the database are wrong- NT298715- I think it should be NT2987
7125 (using 1:25000 scale, not GPS unfortunately). I also had another set of
co-ords for this stone from Adam McLeans book ‘The Standing Stones of the
Lothians’- however these were also slightly west.
The stone now stands at the corner of Greendykes Road and Niddrie House
Avenue, just a couple of metres from the main road and behind a utilities
buildings (electricity?) and just outside a small burial ground. The
dimensions on CANMORE are approx correct and I noticed the cupmarkings on
the right at the base of the stone- certainly at least one of them looks
natural, but there were around 5 others which looked classically megalithic.
I hope the above information is of some use.

The RCAHMS replied;
Thank you very much for taking the time to contact us about the Niddrie standing stone. We are delighted to hear that it is still visible and we will update the information in the database early in the New Year.

(from northcoastal.freeserve.co.uk/holme_beach.htm)

27th November 2001
Holme Village Hall Meeting

A meeting was held in Holme Village Hall tonight for what has been called the last of the consultations regarding the fate of ‘Seahenge’.

David Miles Chief Archaeologist of English Heritage explained to the villagers of Holme-next-the-sea what had happened to change the decision to bury Seahenge deep into the clay of Holme beach. A decision made at the last consultative meeting in the village hall in October 2000, when it was suggested that there was neither money nor expertise to preserve the timbers on dry land.

When various archaeologists and academics from the international scientific community urged
preservation of the timbers as burying them could not guarantee their survival, English Heritage
released funding to Flag Fen for further investigation of the timbers.

The Seahenge timbers, which have been dated to the spring of 2050BC and 2049BC using pioneering dating techniques, are now being studied using new technological advances in laser scanning which is allowing scientists to study, on computer, three dimensional detailed images.
This study is revealing in fine detail exactly how the timbers were cut and shaped and showing what tools were used. This, and other information, is unlocking the mystery of the builders of Seahenge.

Referring to the axe marks as ‘fingerprints’ a report from Flag Fen suggests that 38 different bronze tools were used and that a number of ‘builders’ appeared to be involved. That report concluded a whole community would have been involved in the building of ‘Seahenge’.

English Heritage has now agreed to release £50,000 for a 5 year programme of conservation and preservation to be carried out at Flag Fen Bronze Age Centre in Peterborough under the direction of Francis Pryor the Director of Archaeology and his wife Maisie Taylor. At the end of this process English Heritage will provide the funding for storage. English Heritage scientist Mike Corfield explained how the timbers could be preserved using a water soluble wax which process would make the wood solid. David Miles said no decision had been reached regarding display of ‘Seahenge’.

The option of placing the conserved timbers into storage would give access to scientists for research purposes and allow future generations to experience for themselves ‘one of the most important discoveries of recent years for British archaeology’. Another option to storage is the founding of a local trust to take over the responsibility of Seahenge and to raise the funds and find a suitable environment for permanent display allowing this present generation to experience this ‘important discovery’.

It was suggested at the meeting that there was now a breathing space of 5 years in which to come up with the answers to the eventual fate of ‘Seahenge’.

Holme Parish Council Chairman, Geoff Needham said “They have now realised the national importance of Seahenge and that they have no option but to provide the money for preservation.

The enthusiasm for long term display must come locally, but the Government will have to provide the money”.

There was no mention at all of the new discoveries on Holme’s beach. See ‘At Holme with Seahenge’ where three new photographs taken by John Lorimer show the central logs of a 22’ circle clearly showing what are assumed to be bronze tool marks.

news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/england/newsid_1670000/1670707.stm

An amateur historian has found a lost standing stone in his own “back garden” – 18 months after beginning a search for it.

Stephen Davis and historian friend Clare Forbes used ancient documents to help track down The Horestone near Stroud, Gloucestershire, some
350 years after it was lost.

Mr Davis learned of the stone when he began researching the history of his own house in 1987.

He then started to swap notes with local historian Ms Forbes and this led to the pair agreeing to look for the stone together.

The first known reference to the stone was in legal documents dated 1170.

But it is believed to mark a Bronze Age burial site dating back to around 2,500 BC.

The area was declared common land after a law suit was fought over it in the 14th Century.

Its last official recording was in 1636 in a tax record.

The land on which it stands, which is behind Mr Davis’ house, was sold off 300 years ago and is now part of a housing estate.

‘Astonishing moment‘

The two stone-hunters feared the ancient rock on Rodborough Common might have been smashed up or buried to destroy its magical powers.

Mr Davis said: “We had no reason to believe that we’d actually find it. These things are buried, ploughed over or they just fall over.”

They almost missed finding it because it was so overgrown with ivy it looked like a tree stump.

But both said they were glad to find it and “unpick the lock of ancient history around Rodborough”.

On uncovering the stone, Mr Davis said: “It’s curious to excavate a piece of history. It wasn’t just stumbling across it, but just stumbling across
it while we were looking for it.

“It was the most astonishing of moments. It spoke immediately of lost time and still had all the atmosphere of a pagan shrine.

“I was certainly not expecting to have such a stunning moment in my own back garden.”

English Heritage is now expected to declare the six-feet-high stone a scheduled ancient monument.

Due to the increased number of visitors, the Chestnuts are now only available to visit by appointment.

Price £1 (under 16’s free)

Contact: Joan Bygrave, Rose Alba, Park Road, Addington, West Malling, Kent, ME19 5BQ

Phone: 01732 840220

Please don’t think you can sneak in, they’re in her back garden.

Thanks to Jane for the update on the Phone No.

This is the reply I received from the NTS re the poor state of this grand monolith;

Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding the Caiy Stane. I have been asked to reply because, as the Conservator for the South region of the National Trust for Scotland, the Caiy Stane falls within my remit. The regional archaeologist, Robin Turner, and one of the regional surveyors, Bryan Dickson, also have an input into discussions regarding the Caiy Stane.

We are aware of the condition of the Caiy Stane and recently commissioned a stone conservator from Historic Scotland to undertake tests and produce a proposal for the removal of the graffiti and general cleaning. I am awaiting his proposal and once I have this we will press ahead with the work.

I agree with you that the Caiy Stane is of great importance and it is clearly lamentable that it has got into this condition. Following the conservation work we will be monitoring the Caiy stane regularly for signs of further damage, but, as you will appreciate, it is very difficult to stop this kind of thing from happening altogether.

Thank you again for your interest in this matter, and please do not hesitate to contact me again if you have any further comments.

Yours sincerely

Isobel Griffin
Regional Conservator
National Trust for Scotland

buckscc.gov.uk/news/200105/Whiteleaf_Hill.pdf

HERITAGE LOTTERY BID FOR WHITELEAF HILL NATURE RESERVE
RESTORATION PROJECT

Buckinghamshire County Council has recently submitted a Heritage Lottery Bid application to support its restoration project of the Whiteleaf Hill Nature Reserve, a site of unique national importance.

The total of the cost of the three year project is estimated to run into six figures. Onyx Environmental Trust have already pledged £75,000 for the restoration of the Whiteleaf Cross with major financial support coming from Buckinghamshire County Council and the Landfill Tax. However, the Heritage Lottery Bid is crucial to the success of the project in providing funding for a number of important historical projects on the site. The outcome of the Lottery bid is expected in the autumn.

The Project is based on a strong local partnership between the owners and managers of the site, Buckinghamshire County Council, and the Risborough Countryside Group, Princes Risborough Town Council, and other interested parties and statutory agencies. The Project also has the support of English Nature, The Countryside Agency and the Chilterns AONB as well as Lord Carrington, Sir William McAlpine, Sir Nigel Mobbs and Sir Timothy Raison.

HERITAGE LOTTERY BID FOR WHITELEAF HILL NATURE RESERVE
RESTORATION PROJECT: 2

The main objects of the project are to conserve Whiteleaf Cross as a stable and prominent hill figure, improve public access and recreational facilities, including the Ridgeway National Trail and site carpark/picnic area and to foster a sense of local identity at Whiteleaf and its association with local settlements and the market town Princes Risborough. The project also aims to develop educational opportunities and a greater awareness of the site among younger people.

On a historical basis, the project plans to survey, map and interpret archaeological/ historical features above or below ground, carry out limited research excavations of the Neolithic Barrow and WW1 trenches and interpret the site and its key features through leaflets, panels and a locally produced book. Improving the chalk grassland habitats and carrying out species conservation works will also plan an important part of the project. Mike Woods, Countryside Manager, said: “This Local Nature Reserve is an important site which offers a unique natural environment and historic past. It is essential that we preserve this important site for future generations to enjoy. Our Heritage Lottery bid is a key element in securing its future.”

HERITAGE LOTTERY BID FOR WHITELEAF HILL NATURE RESERVE
RESTORATION PROJECT: 3

Community interest and support for the project is reflected by the Risborough Countryside Group who enjoy a membership of over 200 local people and provide the link with other local organisations, groups, clubs and schools.

Design and technical advice for the project has kindly been donated by Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd.

cruithni.org/issues/silbury/savesilbury.html

September 8th, 2001:

Venue Avebury main car-park with walk to Silbury Hill.

A mass walk to bring attention to the sorry state of the hill and to demand that govt money is provided to repair the damage. By this date the current surveys should be completed and an idea of just how much work and money is needed should be ready.

Help to keep the pressure up and to get media attention by joining the walk, meet up in the main car- park around 1-1.30pm ready to set off to Silbury Hill car park at 2pm.

Bring a picnic, bring children, bring your friends, bring banners. This is to be a peaceful demonstration so the more peaceful types the better!

The last march went off very well with a friendly police presence and some of the kids getting lifts in the back of the lead police car. If by any chance an announcement is made that the funds will be made available then the day will transform into a celebration instead.

If any of you who live in cities and don’t have cars would like to offer to arrange coaches get in touch. Likewise anyone with car space.

Birmingham/Midlands pagans are already trying to arrange coach hire and places. Make a day out of it, book a coach for your moot, enjoy a day out in Ancient Avebury and do something to show support for Silbury Hill.

Anyone wanting to offer to be a steward for the day please get in touch by mailing [email protected], stewards are needed to try to talk people out of climbing the hill and to ensure safety on the walk (fluorescent jackets provided).

news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1493000/1493535.stm

Scanners probe Stone Age mystery

Archaeologists are using computer imaging to try to solve one of the biggest mysteries of Stone Age Britain.

Silbury Hill in Wiltshire is the biggest man-made neolithic mound in Europe – but nobody knows why it was built.

The 130ft foot grassy mound, which was built more than 4,000 years ago, has been seriously threatened by a hole which appeared in its summit in May last year.

As repairs get under way English Heritage wants to carry out a seismic study of the hill to create 3D computer images of what lies inside.

A hole appeared in the hill’s summit last year

First they have to shore up an 18th century shaft from a previous excavation that collapsed several months ago.

It has already been reinforced with polystyrene, and on Thursday helicopters will transport 36 tonnes of chalk to cap the opening.

Once the hill has been made safe, four small vertical holes will be bored into its side so that scientists can increase the detail of the interior scan.

The results should be known in October. Archaeologists have tried to uncover the secret of Silbury Hill for more than 200 years.

Archaeologists will use an 18th Century shaft

The giant mound would have taken 700 men 10 years to complete, using antler picks and shovels made from the shoulder bones of animals.

There have been several theories about the site, which forms part of the ancient landscape surrounding Avebury stone circle and nearby Stonehenge.

No evidence has been found of any human burials but many believe it was a sacred monument.

Others think it was nothing more than a Stone Age waste tip.

English Heritage News Release
6/8/2001

WORLD CLASS TEAM TO SUPPORT DESIGN OF NEW STONEHENGE CENTRE

The next exciting phase in the creation of the new Visitor Facilities at
Stonehenge, located outside the World Heritage Site at
Countess East, Amesbury, was announced by English Heritage on Friday 3
August. The appointment of a world-class team who will support the project
architects Denton Corker Marshall comprises a Project Manager, Structural
and Civil Engineer, Landscape Architect, Mechanical and Electrical
Engineers, Transport Engineer and Quantity Surveyor.
In April 2001 English Heritage announced the appointment of Denton Corker
Marshall as architects and design team leaders. Now, with today’s
appointments, design will rapidly advance.

Announcing the selection, John Vimpany, Project Director for Stonehenge,
said: “I am delighted to welcome to the Project a design team whose dynamic
mix of skills and expertise will combine to produce one of the best visitor
centres in the world.

“Each firm has been carefully selected against stiff competition from an
international field to bring creativity and expertise to the project. They
have a real understanding of Stonehenge as a World Heritage Site and the
importance of restoring an open landscape around it.”

The appointments announced today are:

Structural and Civil Engineers – Anthony Hunt Associates Ltd
This highly respected firm of structural and civil engineers has worked with
many of the country’s most respected architects such as Richard Rogers
Partnership, Foster & Partners and John McAslan Architects. They also share
many similar design principals with Denton Corker Marshall, the project’s
architects. Previous high profile projects include the Eden Project in
Cornwall, the National Botanic Gardens in Wales and the North Greenwich
Transport Interchange.

Landscape Architect – Chris Blandford Associates
Well known for their sensitive approach to landscape design, CBA bring to
the project a deep understanding of the cultural, planning and environmental
issues that affect the landscape surrounding Stonehenge. This appointment
follows their earlier work on the Stonehenge World Heritage Site Management
Plan, the Tower of London World Heritage Site and extensive work for the
Department of Transport.

Project Manager – Gardiner & Theobald Management Services
GTMS will provide the vital link between English Heritage and the design
team headed by architects Denton Corker Marshall. They have a proven
track-record in managing high profile heritage projects including the
Imperial War Museum North, the Salisbury Cathedral Magna Carta Project, the
Windsor Castle Fire Restoration and the National Gallery Sainsbury Wing.

Quantity Surveyor – Davis Langdon & Everest
Davis Langdon & Everest’s international reputation is based on a wide range
of prestigious projects, especially in the cultural and museums sector
including the Eden Project, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Gallery
and British Museum.

Mechanical & Electrical Engineer – Norman Disney and Young
This fast growing international firm of engineering consultants are known
for their work on the Shell Mex House in London, the Museum of New Zealand
and the visitor centre at the Australia War Museum.

Transport Engineer – Colin Buchanan and Partners
Colin Buchanan and Partners is one of the UK’s leading transport
consultants, with experience in providing transport solutions for a variety
of projects both in the UK and overseas. Previous projects include the
creation of regeneration strategies for London and Middlesborough and a
Transport Feasibility Study for Oxford.

A draft scheme for the visitor centre and transport link will be produced
later this year, on which English Heritage will consult the National Trust
and the other Stonehenge Master Plan partners, prior to detailed designs
being drawn up to form the basis of a planning application in 2002/3.

Some of you might have read in the Guardian last week that this issue was resolved. It was reported that a compromise had been agreed and that the Nine Ladies were safe from quarrying. Unfortunately, this is not true and looks like it will not be resolved until May of this year. So the good people up in Derbyshire that are fighting to ensure the future of this most beautiful site are still in need of your support. Don’t forget them!
I am very sad to say that a good Derbyshire woman named Dian Case has passed away. She was passionate about saving the Nine Ladies (and was a long-time campaigner for any endangered Derbyshire countryside). R.I.P.