Timewatch expresses dismay at latest plan
Groups campaigning to stop quarrying around Thornborough Henges have slammed a recently published conservation plan. TimeWatch is disappointed with the proposed Thornborough Henges Conservation Plan announced last week, saying it neither includes the entire Thornborough complex nor addresses all the important issues.
"The consultation group and the proposed conservation plan are a response to a number of concerns raised by many people regarding the preservation and appearance of the Thornborough Henges complex," said George Chaplin, TimeWatch chairman.
"In particular, people are concerned that the wider archaeological landscape is being quarried and many thousands have signed the petition calling for a one mile 'no quarry zone' around the henges. The proposed area fails to address this."
TimeWatch says that in early consultations the conservation plan area was shown to cover a stretch of the landscape from Kirklington to West Tanfield. Now they say the proposed conservation area is barely larger than the scheduled areas at Thornborough and omits Ladybridge Farm (the proposed site for further quarrying by Tarmac) and other areas known to hold archaeology related to the henges.
"In addition, there are concerns about the ongoing impact of the landfill site next door to the central henge, on the setting of the national monument in terms of looks and smell," said Mr Chaplin. "This landfill site is outside of the conservation area."
The group says it will be responding to the consultation and requesting that the plan be redrawn so that it addresses these fundamental concerns.
More of the article at Ripon News
http://www.nidderdaletoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=18&ArticleID=1338713
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RSPB warn against tunnel alternatives
http://www.rspb.org.uk/action/stonehenge.asp
The RSPB says that the two proposed overground routes would destroy nesting and roosting sites of the stone curlew, which only has two UK strongholds.
"The southern route would destroy two-thirds of the RSPB's Normanton Down Reserve and split the remainder, reducing its value to wildlife. The reserve is part of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site and boasts Britain's most important Bronze Age barrow cemetery. The site is also an invaluable feeding ground for stone-curlews before they leave on migration. Last year 19 birds were seen together, using the area as a direct result of improved habitat management.
The northern option would run close to the Salisbury Plain Special Protection Area (SPA), a site protected by European wildlife laws. The road scheme would damage the potential of that land for increasing stone-curlew numbers.
Stonehenge lies close to the SPA, which together with Porton Down and Normanton Down forms north-west Europe's largest network of chalk grassland. Corn bunting, skylark and lapwing are amongst declining birds using the area together with butterflies such as the grizzled skipper, one of several disappearing chalkland specialists. The harebell and dropwort are amongst thriving plants that are rare elsewhere.
The RSPB believes the government should not consider the northern or southern over-ground routes as viable options and hopes that the review process will lead to the adoption of route less damaging for the area's wildlife.
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Timewatch calls for international support
TimeWatch has called for international support in the battle to save the Thornborough Henges from the threat of quarrying nearby.
Quarry company Tarmac Northern Ltd was granted a delay to the planning process while it carried out further archaeological investigations at its proposed quarry site at Ladybridge Farm, half a mile from the triple henge complex. These have now been completed and there is a new consultation process ahead of the the North Yorkshire County Council planning meeting on February 21 which will determine the firm's application.
"As a result of Tarmac's latest work, English Heritage have confirmed that the proposals will destroy archaeology of national importance," said TimeWatch chairman George Chaplin this week. "This has vindicated our position and proves the area needs to be regarded as part of the setting of the Thornborough Henges complex".
"NYCC have already confirmed there is no need for the gravel, and that the application fails several planning policies, but we are still concerned that any perceived drop in public concern may have a detrimental outcome on the decision. We are therefore asking the international community to show support for our campaign".
Responses to this latest consultation should be sent to Mr Shaw, at the Minerals and Waste Planning Unit, County Hall, Northallerton, DL7 8AH by February 3 February.
http://www.nidderdaletoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=18&ArticleID=1321648
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Bog bodies from Dublin area unveiled
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4589638.stm
The two men (one a giant 6'6" compared to the other who was 5'2") met their sticky ends (no pun intended) in bogs at Clonycavan and Croghan in the Iron Age. They were both found in 2003.
There will be a 'Timewatch' programme about them on the BBC on 20th January.
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Bronze Age hoard from Silk Mills Bridge
Archaeologists are currently studying the hoard found at Silk Mills Bridge near Taunton in the summer, before the items go on public display.
"Steven Membery, archaeologist for Somerset County Council, said of the site: "It appears to be an island in a large river. It was used seasonally probably for hunting ducks and fish. It's rare to find hunter gathering communities like this anywhere so this is an important discovery."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/4576710.stm
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Axes sold on ebay to be given to Aylesbury Museum
[One to sigh and shake your head at]
Rare bronze-age treasures were sold on eBay for £205, a coroner heard yesterday. Five bids were made and the axe heads were shipped over to Dutch collector Jeroen Zuiderwijk, who paid just a fraction of their real value. Luckily however, the archaeologist, an experimental metallurgist at a theme park, got in touch with UK museum authorities. The find was described by expert Ros Tyrrell as only the second ever bronze-age collection to be found in the Buckinghamshire area.
The series of 15 axe heads was believed to have been dug up using metal detectors by a couple known as Stuart and Tracey, from the Milton Keynes area of Buckinghamshire. When the couple moved to France in 2004 they gave the find to friends John Couchman and Lorraine Ayton who promptly put them up for sale on eBay.
"It would have been such a waste if they had been sold individually," Ms Tyrrell told the inquest in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. "Now the hoard will stay together and will be available to see if people want to study it. You can only study what is available and this will be a valuable addition to our collection."
The axe heads, held by the British Museum, are set to be handed to the Buckinghamshire County Museum in Aylesbury. Yesterday at the treasure trove inquest, Milton Keynes coroner Rodney Corner formally declared that the treasure belonged to the Crown. Since the 1996 Treasure Act, finders are no longer keepers and must report any objects more than 300 years old. However, the coroner heard that a lot of treasure was never handed in by unscrupulous metal detectors known as "night hawks" who only operated under cover of darkness.
"We are very grateful to Mr Zuiderwijk. He could have kept quiet and we would never have known. We would have lost our ability to study them," Ms Tyrrell added. "These axe heads were high-tech in their day. They looked really swanky with their gold colouring."
edited from the story by Fred Attewill at
http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=2450782005
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Missing section of Sedgeford Torc found
A gold torc made from 25 metres of twisted wire was found in Sedgeford, Norfolk in the 1960s - but it had a bit missing. It went on display in the British Museum (who don't care if things are a bit battered). Now Steve Hammond, a local amateur archaeologist, has found the missing section, about 400 yards away from the original find spot. Happily, the British Museum has been able to buy it with money from their Friends and the National Art Collections Fund - so the two bits are reunited once more. Ahh.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1922526,00.html
It has beautifully snazzy La Tene style ends - you can see a picture on the British Museum Compass website.
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Timewatch criticises latest dig at Ladybridge
The Chairman of TimeWatch, George Chaplin, is unhappy with the way the further examination of the Ladybridge farm site is being conducted.
"This newest digging will not produce the eight to ten per cent sample required by English Heritage and, in fact, is focused on an area where artefacts have already been found," he said this week. The researchers appear to be focusing only on Neolithic archaeology in one location while additional important archaeology is likely to be located where they are not looking.
"We are concerned that the current digging is being done in a hurried manner, in bad weather, using heavy equipment, and without the constant supervision of an outside group of archaeologists who have no vested interest in the outcome."
But archaeologist Steve Timms, who is heading the team conducting the additional archaeological investigation at Ladybridge, has dismissed the group's claims.
More at http://www.knaresboroughtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=18&ArticleID=1244009
There is an open morning at the site tomorrow between 8am and noon.
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Unique designs found on slab in Beauly cairn?
Unusual designs have been found on a 5000-year-old stone slab discovered inside a cairn near Beauly. The sandstone slab formed one side of a burial chamber within the cairn, and was discovered after Highland Council ordered a quarry company to undertake an archaeological survey on the site at Balblair prior to extracting rock and gravel.
Andrew Dutton, a senior archaeologist with Headland Archaeology, said:
"It has certainly got people scratching their heads, " he admitted. "It is unique. There is a lot of rock art around here and the cup and ring symbol can be seen in the open air at several sites but the curvilinear lines on this slab are very strange. Also the cup marks have been worked through from both sides until there is a perforation that, perhaps, people could look through to see inside the kist or to let light inside."
The stone is now in a store at Inverness Museum until more of its story can be unravelled. Conservation officer Jeanette Pearson is making its surface stable to preserve the carvings."It is very unusual, " she said. "I've never seen anything like it. It's certainly not Pictish so we are seeking specialist advice from the National Museum to help us identify it."
From the Inverness Courier article here.
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'Poignant finds' at Unst dig
The excavation of an Iron Age site at Sand Wick on Unst, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Historic Scotland, was initially aimed at training volunteers how to excavate eroding coastlines. However, archaeologists from Glasgow University, the Scottish Coastal Archaeology and the Problems of Erosion Trust (SCAPE) and local volunteers have excavated many artefacts and an interesting skeleton. The skeleton was found lying on its back with a polished stone disc tucked inside its mouth. Near the arm was a tiny ornament formed of rings of copper alloy and bone which the team believes was some kind of pendant.
Dr Olivia Lelong, excavation director and project director of Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division, said: "The skeleton was a totally unexpected find. It was a beautifully composed burial, obviously put together with a great deal of thought and care, from the way the body was placed to the objects buried with the person."
Full article at the Scotsman website:
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2136632005
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EH working with local police to protect Eston Moor
Kate Wilson, inspector of ancient monuments for English Heritage North-East has called for action to stop arsonists on Eston Moor who are destroying the heather which protects archaeological sites. Trials bikes and off-road vehicles are also damaging the earthworks.
Detective Constable Trevor Smith, of Cleveland Police, who said: "By building a closer relationship with English Heritage, we can reduce the number of incidents of damage to scheduled monuments and, where necessary, secure convictions against those responsible for the damage."
The organisations are also concerned that fences have been ripped up and used as bonfire fuel, while earlier this year two sheep were slaughtered and one farmer's cattle were stampeded through a neighbour's crops.
Police recently seized an air rifle, an axe, a 6in combat knife and lock knives from rival gangs of children camping around landmark rocky outcrop Eston Nab in groups of up to 40. Over one weekend last summer, Cleveland Police rounded up 22 teenagers, with an average age of 14, of whom six were armed.
full article at
http://www.thisisthenortheast.co.uk/the_north_east/teesside/news/NEWS0.html
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Wetland sites being lost through drainage
A study has highlighted how rural development and drainage for agriculture in the Somerset levels has badly damaged nationally important archaeological sites.
When ground water levels drop in the summer, the waterlogged remains dry out: current farming methods don't leave enough water inthe peat to protect them.
The study focused on 13 of the most important sites near Glastonbury, including prehistoric trackways and villages. Some sites had already been lost while others were suffering gradual decay.
Vanessa Straker of English Heritage said: "We are encouraging as many farmers as possible to apply for Defra's environmental stewardship scheme, which gives them payments in return for conserving the countryside."
taken from the article "Farming endangers prehistoric roads" by Norman Hammond
in the Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,61-1818469,00.html
The survey was jointly carried out by English Heritage, the Environment Agency and Somerset County Council, and will be reported in detail in the November issue of British Archaeology.
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Volunteers needed to record rock art
Rock Art project officer Tertia Barnett said: "It is
fascinating work and we are uncovering more all the time. Help from volunteers has been invaluable so far and we are looking to recruit more."
The one-day training programme is at County Hall, Morpeth on October 21 and anyone interested is asked to contact Tertia on (01670) 533076 or [email protected]
The volunteers will be working in small teams using a range of methods to document the rock art, including a ground-breaking 3D technique developed for the project by English Heritage that will allow the carvings to be viewed and studied in great detail.
from Berwick Today
http://www.berwicktoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=970&ArticleID=1196540
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Rare Iron Age Burial Found on Skye
Archaeologists believe they have uncovered the first Iron Age burial on the Isle of Skye.
The skeleton from about the 1st millennium BC is thought to be that of a young female. It was found recently in an open stone-lined grave as the archaeologists worked to re-open the blocked entrance to the High Pasture Cave.
The discovery is extremely rare. Iron Age burial sites have been found in several locations on the east coast of Scotland, but this is among the few occurrences along the country's Atlantic seacoast and the first on Skye.
"The discovery of the human remains at the High Pasture's site is a very important find and will provide a unique opportunity to study a wide range of aspects of Iron Age life and death in the region," said George Kozikowski, a member of the High Pasture Cave Project.
This article: http://heritage.scotsman.com/news.cfm?id=1907512005
Also see the news item below, and the website at
http://www.high-pasture-cave.org/
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Neolithic evidence at cave near St Lythans
The remains of seven humans have been found in a large pit in the mouth of a cave on the Goldsland Wood site, near Wenvoe, in the Vale of Glamorgan. The pottery and flint blades found with them date the remains to about 3000 BC.
Archaeology students from the University of Central Lancashire, in Preston, had been digging there as part of their course. "The Goldsland caves have never been excavated before," said Dr Rick Peterson, the course leader. "We went there hoping to find undisturbed evidence for whatever ritual took place 5000 years ago that led to peoples' bones being put in caves and we seem to have found it.
"At the moment our understanding of these rituals is that first the large pit was dug, probably to make the small cave mouth look much bigger and more impressive. Then the dead were placed in the pit with some of their possessions such as pottery and stone tools. Then once the bodies had become skeletons it seems that most of the bones were then moved to other ritual sites, like the nearby chambered tomb of St Lythans. The pit containing the ash from a cremation is evidence for a different sort of rite - although it probably took place around the same time."
The team plan to return to the site in 2006 and excavate a much larger area.
From the BBC news site
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/4185966.stm
The wood is at ST108718, along a footpath from the St Lythans dolmen.
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Solutions sought for grubby horse
Westbury residents are facing a long wait before their cherished landmark can be restored to its former glory. The famous White Horse has become covered with lichens, causing it to lose its gleaming appearance. The plight of the monument was recognised by English Heritage in July last year and work began to restore the discoloured surface.
Several previous restoration projects had been carried out, including laying reinforced concrete over the image in the hope of providing a resistant surface to the elements. Eight years later, the monument had to be steam-cleaned by English Heritage to remove biological deposits.
The organisation is now keen to find a longer-term solution which means residents may have to put up with the horse's bedraggled appearance for some time yet. Technical investigations have been carried out on the site to establish the cause of the deterioration.
Three different paint samples were tested on the horse and are being monitored to measure the rate of deposit. English Heritage said these trials now have to be repeated to ensure the right approach is adopted to achieve a white surface which will stand the test of time.
An English Heritage spokesperson said: "The trials are going to take place again over the coming winter. We need to go through two full winters to make sure we have the right results and we are looking positively at next spring to make a decision."
The organisation said it does not have the money to restore the monument annually. Pending the success of the trials, the surface will be cleaned and treated subject to funding.
The Mayor of Westbury, Cllr Michael Hawkins, said it was vital the monument was restored as soon as possible. "The White Horse is very important to the town," he said. "It is the main association of the town and one of the key things people think of when they think of Westbury. The horse in its current state lets the town down badly. It needs to be sorted out sooner rather than later."
From
This Is Bath.
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Mesolithic site found in East Surrey
Sounds great until you hear it was only discovered because someone wants to turn the site into a quarry..
from The Times:
An excavation has turned up flint tools and cooking pots from about 10,000 years ago at a site on the North Downs in Surrey. The area, which bears the remains of cooked meals, campfires and flint tools, is believed to be one of the most important Mesolithic excavations in Britain.
Andrew Josephs, an archaeologist and the project's consultant, said: "The most extraordinary thing is that people gathered here for 4,000 years. It's over a period of time that is very hard to comprehend. We think of the Romans as a long time ago, at 2,000 years. Mesolithic man was coming here for 4,000 years, which is 200 generations of people. It suggests a tradition passed down from generation to generation."
Within hours of starting to dig yesterday, archaeologists had unearthed an adze, an implement used for shaping wood. The buried land surface is littered with evidence of communities that came to the area from around 8,000BC to 4,300BC.
So little is known about Mesolithic man's way of life that the artefacts will greatly improve archaeologists' understanding. The site is at North Park Farm, Bletchingley, a medieval village in East Surrey. It emerged when WBB Minerals, a mineral supply company, applied for planning permission to quarry in the area and an archaeological investigation was undertaken as part of the process.
WBB Minerals and English Heritage are funding a full excavation at a cost of £350,000. A series of public open days has been planned.
Jonathan Last, English Heritage's head of prehistory research policy, said: "This excavation provides an invaluable opportunity to enhance our understanding of Mesolithic chronology and settlement. What's really interesting about this site is the potential to have undisturbed remains of activities from this period.
"We find quite a lot of Mesolithic flints across England, but they usually turn up in plough soils on the surface. It is unusual to have undisturbed remains of occupation, where we can refit pieces of flint and find them in relation to hearths and cooking places."
The Mesolithic period, also called the Middle Stone Age, began about 8,000BC and lasted until about 4,000BC. Across England there were only 10,000 people, who led a mobile existence, hunter-gathering in woodland. They would have followed herds of animals or moved to riverside or coastal locations to catch fish.
Archaeologists are working side-by-side under the guidance of Surrey County Archaeological Unit and ArchaeoScape, at Royal Holloway College.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1749059,00.html
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Responses to rejection of visitor centre plans
From the article in 'This Is Wiltshire'
http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/wiltshire/salisbury/news/SALIS_NEWS4.html
An English Heritage spokesman said: "We believe the grounds for refusal are ones that can easily be addressed and we will be discussing with Salisbury district council when to resubmit the scheme."
Salisbury MP Robert Key said it was important that meetings to resolve concerns about the scheme were held quickly, to ensure the funding remained in place: "There is a worry that, if there continues to be this time-slippage, the lottery funding for the project will be allocated to the Olympic Games, which would love to get its hands on these millions of pounds," he said.
The Heritage Lottery Fund says it will stick by this project for the time being, but something must be resolved. "If English Heritage does appeal against the council's decision, it could take up to a year and Salisbury district council - and therefore the council taxpayer - could be facing a bill of £500,000. "It will save a lot of time and money if these issues can be resolved and the plans are resubmitted."
The National Trust echoed the view, adding that the fundamental solution to Stonehenge's problems was "resolving the current stranglehold of the A303 and A344". Fiona Reynolds, director-general of the trust, said: "English Heritage's plans are only one part of the vision to reunite the stones with their landscape and improve the experience for visitors."
The district council said English Heritage had failed to demonstrate that the height, width and length of the land train and track would not have an adverse impact on residents, the world heritage site and archaeology. The council committee was also concerned about the impact on the flow of traffic on the A303.
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3D Laser Scan of Callanish Made
Archaeoptics, a team of scientists and archaeologists, conducted the digital scan, hailed as a major advance in archaeological techniques, which produced computerised three-dimensional images and analysis of the stones.
The work will be used to produce educational material on the stones and shed light on their position within the greater Callanish complex and current archaeo-astronomical theories.
Alastair Carty, of Archaeoptics, said: "This is the most accurate survey of the site carried out to date.
"The technique is basically a device which measures 1000 points per second providing full 3D dimensions similar to existing surveying techniques but far, far more accurate. It also builds a dense 3D model. The model could be used to create virtual astronomical events.
"We hope to help create a video or DVD that can add information about the stones through a fully interactive 3D model. As my equipment measures the area, an image builds up on the screen and you can immediately see what's going on."
More at http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/44048.html
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This hill, it has a meaning that is very important for me, but it's not rational. It's beautiful, but when you look, there's nothing there. But I'd be a fool if I didn't listen to it.
-- Alan Garner.
...I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn...
-- William Wordsworth.
Some interesting websites with landscape and fairy folklore:
http://earthworks-m.blogspot.co.uk
http://faeryfolklorist.blogspot.co.uk
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