You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Silbury’ category.
The problem of unauthorised climbing of Silbury persists. In January Avebury Parish Council noted that “The fence around Silbury Hill had broken down and there was no warning sign ‘do not climb’” and in March the Chairman reported he had attended a meeting there with English Heritage staff and that a decision had been made to mend the fence around the base of the Hill, improve signage and place dead blackthorn branches in selected places to deter access. (It had been put to them that hawthorn hedging could be planted to make access more difficult but EH staff on site were concerned this would give cover for burrowing animals such as rabbits.) As can be seen from our photograph taken last weekend neither fences nor signs nor anything else seem to deter some people.
EH had also noted that “the grass surface of the Hill had recovered remarkably rapidly due to the track to the north side of the monument currently being under water.” However, that’s no great comfort as the water will soon be gone and in any case the issue is not damage to the grass but to the surface of the hill, which will never recover. In addition, as can be seen at the top left of our photograph, yet another new footpath has been formed, leading straight up to the summit.
If anyone has any ideas how to discourage those who do this we’d be glad to publish them. We can’t help thinking the key is in the wording on the notices. The two young fellows on the photograph were being watched by four girls they arrived with and it’s possible there is very often an element of “showing off” involved so our own suggestion for the wording would be this…..
Postcards to friends of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site
Silbury Hill is an acoustic roots and folk rock duo consisting of Scott Dolling (flute, guitar, vocals) and David Stainer (guitars, mandolin, vocals). Based in East Anglia they play a lively blend of original songs plus covers by popular artistes. The duo have performed at festivals, events and in clubs and bars throughout the region as well as a number of appearances in France (including the national Fete de la Musique festival). They have played live radio sessions and supported professional touring artistes.
Silbury Hill have produced 2 CDs of original material The Tudor Rose (2011) and Broadside and Mayhem (2013).
Both members of the duo have a lively interest in heritage and initially looked for a name that reflected their East Anglian roots. But one of the guy’s girlfriend, a west country girl, unwittingly provided a name through her chosen email address and has since donated the email address to them too!
Further information can be found at www.reverbnation.com/silburyhill or email silburyhill@aol.com
________________________________________________
This is part of a series of short “postcards” that anyone with something to share is welcome to submit, whether that is a digital snap and a “wish you were here” or something more involved. Please do join in by sending your postcards to theheritagejournal@gmail.com
For others in the series put postcards in the search box.
Postcards to friends of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site
Every year hundreds of people climb Silbury Hill, ignoring signs explaining why they should not. Until recently, all used an ancient spiral path that is conspicuously visible from the roadside, but after Silbury’s 2008 restoration at least half a dozen new routes appeared, each producing an ugly, vertical scar. Most climbers preferred the same ‘discrete’ route least visible from the road; after only a few years their collective boots formed steps, as they cut through the turf into bare soil. In this record year of rainfall that soil has eroded away, leaving a foot-deep scar. Those that climb assume that one individual cannot make any difference to a monument so vast – but there are people on the hill virtually every day of the year. Hundreds of individuals do make a difference, as this picture clearly shows: crossing the meadow then up the side of the monument, the climbers are eroding irreplaceable archaeology that has stood for thousands of years.
SteveSprings
(See also yesterday’s plea by archaeologist Jim Leary)
________________________________________________
This is part of a series of short “postcards” that anyone with something to share is welcome to submit, whether that is a digital snap and a “wish you were here” or something more involved. Please do join in by sending your postcards to theheritagejournal@gmail.com
For others in the series put postcards in the search box.
A Guest Article by Brian Edwards
In the spirit of the BBC’s ‘The Unbelievable Truth’, a game show that attempts to convey truths undetected amidst a fantastic story:
This week an Olympic torch convoy filed past Silbury Hill without stopping, another in a long line of snubs that can be traced back to 1649.
Silbury Hill was the area’s premier landmark in the late Sixteenth century, prior that is to the focus being shifted onto sarsen standing stones in the vicinity – following John Aubrey’s famous encounter with Avebury in 1649.
Charles II suddenly spotting Silbury Hill from horseback when exiting Avebury after a guided tour in 1663, highlights that Aubrey and the other antiquaries present that day had no intention of bringing the mound to the king’s attention. The antiquaries evidently didn’t want the mound to retain star billing over the newly discovered sarsen stone ‘cathedral’!
They needn’t have worried, when a burial wasn’t found at the very centre of the Silbury Hill in 1776, the mound was deemed to be only a satellite monument to the henge and stone circle.
Another snub followed in the twentieth century: when buying up much of Avebury in the inter-war period, the marmalade financed archaeologist Alexander Keiller didn’t purchase Silbury Hill – a snub in itself, but more significantly the mound was further marginalised by the henge-centric interpretation of Keiller’s rebuilt Avebury at his new museum in a stable block.
Silbury Hill remains the most unique jewel of many jewels in the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site crown, but heads continue to be turned by those precious stones. How else do we explain why the world’s largest chalk built prehistoric monument is less prestigiously known as Europe’s largest prehistoric man-made mound?
On the other hand, the Olympic torch didn’t visit Avebury either!
Did you spot the truths? 
.
We have finally heard back from Wiltshire Council. They say it’s not possible for the Olympic Torch to visit Avebury or pause at Silbury Hill and the blame lies not with them but the Torch Route body. Quite why that should be is a puzzle but we’ve written to the Council once more, asking them to try again. Fingers crossed …….
.
Dear Councillor Scott,
The Olympic torch and Wiltshire’s heritage:
London 2012 Customer Service CaseID#230363#
Thank you for the reply sent on your behalf by Mrs Bell
We are pleased to hear you have recently been in contact with the Route Organisers regarding additional stops and visits but are naturally disappointed that they say “it is not possible to change the route to include other towns/places”.
However, we note that they say this is because of “Local transport and police planning” and “logistical considerations such as route distances, traffic movement, length of day and operational feasibility” and we feel most strongly, as may you, that a 30 second stop just 30 yards to the side of the scheduled route is unlikely to pose any significant difficulties under any of those six headings.
We wonder therefore if the organisers are aware that only a miniscule adjustment to the arrangements would be required in order to incorporate into the torch itinerary a momentary pause in Silbury Hill carpark , and whether you would be willing to make them aware of the fact? It really does seem anomalous that despite what must be massive logistical, planning and parking difficulties the torch is to be taken to the top of Glastonbury Tor but it is not considered feasible for it to pause for even a moment at Silbury!
(We are copying this message to the torch route organisers together with the picture below showing Silbury right next to the road along which the torch will be driven).
Regards,
Heritage Action
As you may recall we’ve been corresponding with the Torch route organisers and Wiltshire Council about whether the torch could visit Avebury or stop for 30 seconds at Silbury. The organisers say it’s up to the Council but the Council hasn’t responded to us.
Which is strange, as Wiltshire Lib Dems report that
“The council thinks the visits of the torch will create a scrum of international media attention for the settlements on the route.”
Whereas the Leader of the Council Jane Scott has been reported as saying:
“We are encouraging as many communities as possible to get involved in the celebrations and line the torch route on this once in a lifetime opportunity”.
We’ve written to her again, requesting a reply. Watch this space….
To Jane Scott, Leader of Wiltshire Council jane.scott@wiltshire.gov.uk
cc info@torch.london2012.com
Dear Ms Scott,
The Olympic torch and Wiltshire’s heritage: an open letter
[London 2012 Customer Service CaseID#230363#]
As you may know we feel not extending support for Wiltshire Heritage Museum is short-sighted given the huge tourist revenue the County’s museums and monuments generate (see our article here). Now we learn the Olympic torch won’t visit Avebury or Silbury (see article here) which seems to be another lost opportunity to raise awareness of our prehistoric heritage so we have been corresponding with the Torch Planners about it.
We asked them: (a.) is our request for the Torch to stop for a short period at the Silbury Hill car park to be considered or rejected? and (b.) is our assertion that Silbury Hill has a massive claim to be included in a showcase of British history and achievements valid? ….. to which they have just replied:
“No, not at this stage. Local transport and police planning is already taking place around the agreed route. The route has been devised after extensive consultation with representatives in each Nation and Region. Every local authority has been given the opportunity to put themselves forward.”
So the Council has considered but rejected the idea of the torch visiting Avebury or stopping (even momentarily) at Silbury? Again that seems short-sighted and the loss of a unique opportunity to raise awareness of Wiltshire’s prehistoric heritage. For instance, the restored ceremonial Avenue leading into the Avebury Henge is remarkably close to the width and length of the “stadion”, the track used in the original Olympic Games – yet is the best part of 2,000 years older. What better expression of the Olympic games coming to Britain could there be than for the torch to be carried down such an auspicious, 4,600 year old ceremonial route and into the world’s largest stone circle?
We hope you can give this matter urgent consideration.
Regards,
Heritage Action
While the Olympic flame will bypass the world’s greatest stone circle at Avebury and be driven in a van without so much as a pause right past Silbury, Europe’s greatest prehistoric mound, it will at least be carried by runners right along Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes!
Council Leader Andrew Geary said: “The Olympic torch is a symbol of striving for the very best, that super positive attitude which embodies the spirit of Milton Keynes and its residents.”
On the other hand, if examples of British ‘can do’ attitudes are needed for displaying to the world, Avebury Henge and Silbury Hill would be hard to beat!
Fears that Stonehenge wouldn’t be on the route of the Olympic torch have been allayed. It has been decided it will now be specially driven there and carried round the monument at dawn for a closed photo-opportunity. It has also been announced that the flame will be carried up to the top of Glastonbury Tor – again not as part of the published route, which had it only being carried through the town.
However, Avebury will remain excluded from the route and perhaps even more surprisingly there will be no photo opportunity at Silbury even though it seems the torch will be driven in a closed vehicle within a few yards of the mound. Half an hour spent taking it up Glastonbury Tor but no time to stop for 30 seconds at Silbury? Should they be asked to reconsider?
Silbury and the road along which the torch will be driven (C) Jane Tomlinson, Heritage Action....... Not worth the bother of stopping for a moment?
