The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Facilities added by pure joy

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Facilities

Facility: Type: Location:
Andover Museum Museum Andover
Boturnell Farm Cottages Holiday Cottage LISKEARD
Bristol Bookbarn Library Bristol
Burnbake campsite Camping Site Corfe Castle,
City Museum & Art Gallery (Bristol) Museum Bristol
Elmbridge Museum, Weybridge Museum Weybridge
Gull Rock Holiday Cottage Perranporth
Gunnersbury Park Museum Museum London
Heathrow Airport Visitor Centre Museum Heathrow
Kingston Museum Museum Kingston
Museum of Oxford Museum Oxford
Museum Of Richmond Museum Richmond, Surrey
Museum of Witchcraft Museum Boscastle
Royal Cornwall Museum Museum Truro
St Austell Brewery Museum St. Austell
The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology Museum Oxford
The Museum of the Iron Age Museum Andover
Trenannick Cottages Holiday Cottage nearest is Launceston
My real name is Martin, but there is already a Martin vigorously posting on this fantastic web site so I decided to use 'Pure Joy'; which was the title of the Teardrop Explodes and Julian Cope fanzine that I set up in 1988 and ran until 1991/2. Strangely my interest in ancient sites pre-dates the knowledge that Julian was also into them. However Julian's book has certainly led me to visit more, and plan holidays and pit-stops around places to visit! Studying History (and International Relations) at Uni and coming from the West Country led to a healthy fascination with ancient sites and the countryside.

I was born in 1970 in Colerne, a historic village between Bath and Chippenham (mentioned in the Domesday Book) and have spent time in Bath, Reading, Manchester, West Africa, and Ethiopia. I'm currently living near London, but itching to live in the countryside, preferably Cornwall, or Africa. Reality check! little money and inertia creep.

Most of my working life has been in the voluntary sector, usually by supporting voluntary and community groups with advice and information. I enjoy doing quite a bit of voluntary work with our Credit Union, and as an elected Council member of the National Trust.

I'm no photography expert but I like to take photos (nearly always black and white) of places I visit. Some of the earlier ones looked good but it was only with a £25 point and shoot camera that was amazing unreliable. I've now got an old Pentax SLR, but at the moment I refuse to use filters and special effects. You get what you see.

Up side of ancient site = the sense of history, the countryside, the walk, the sense of adventure, the tranquillity, and the weird things that sometimes happen.

Downside = the loneliness, territorial cows, and the cravings to get back to the countryside

My TMA Content: