Re: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYWwTmjpIRI

Classic, Mathew, though (and correctly if I’m wrong) but you are the person who applied for use of the Coach House (sorry, I said stable block above) as a Crop Circle Centre and whose application was turned down? If that is in fact the case it’s understandable that you should now be so upset with the National Trust who want to open a ‘cafe’ on the site. Personally, I hold firm to the belief that the Coach House could be put to better use than as a public convenience.

You had Moss and I in hysterics over dinner (sorry if that wasn’t your intention) and you make some very, very good points. One was the question of sheep poo. I hadn’t actually linked the fact that people generally don’t sit down in the Henge because of the poo problem (and the commercial implications of that). Let me say though that similar ploys really are used elsewhere. I know of a city with a river running through it. On either bank of the river there are restaurants and tea houses but not a single bench on the river banks themselves. It is a well known fact that the restaurants and tea houses there are vehemently opposed to the siting of benches as they believe this will syphon off trade from their establishments.

Spot on.

Interesting stuff, LS!

What I might do is ignore the majority of it and obsess about the toilets of that's ok? ;)

G x

Not only that, but I'll double-post it again! And why not? Tsk.

Removed due to duplicate post.

G x

Has anyone mentioned the road crossings from the SW to SE quadrants yet or the one from the NW to NE they as they can be lethal, especially for school parties! Should they be light controlled?

First and foremost in my mind with regard to development is of course the preservation of the WHS itself. Can we class the re-erection of stones as development...yes I believe we can, so that would be top of my list to bring the henge back as far as possible to its former self.
But running parallel with that would be a greater influx of people visiting Avebury to see these developments so they have to be catered for.
If there are not enough facilities to cope, i.e. toilets, food outlets, car parking, anything...then get on and provide them, but in a controlled and sympathetic way taking into consideration the historic value of the site and the people who actually live there. This is not just a place to visit because by doing so we are intruding into other peoples lives.
Love it or loathe it H&S and equal rights will play a part. Each and every one of us know or have someone who is old/disabled/young who could benefit from a few safety improvements or additions. The road crossing need serious addressing before someone is seriously injured or killed and more provision must be given to the disabled. A simple trackway for wheelchairs around the henge would brighten the lives of many many people who are missing out on so much that we all take for granted. There is so much more that could be done to enhance everybodies enjoyment of what our fantastic great ancestors have bequeathed us.

Possibly the worst kind of development, at least in modern times, here.

Note how close the north-east bank is :-(

A signpost at the bottom of Green Street indicating that the Herepath leads up to the Ridgeway?

Now QR Codes could be a very positive development (and not just at Avebury).

“...the Big Society has something to be said for it (when it comes to communal caring for megalithic sites at least), the way in which it works has yet to be determined. We have already proposed that enthusiasts should take on responsibility for regular inspection of every site and we will be suggesting to NT, EH and others a possible way for them to make access to information extend far beyond what they offer on their information boards, by showing people how they could tap into online sources supplied by enthusiastic amateurs."

More here under the title In defence of Avebury.

I can't be arsed to read all the replies here so I'll just put in my sugestion and bugger off again.
There is only one thing I'd like to see at Avebury/Kennet/Silbury.
Won't cost much.
Won't spoil the vibe man.

RUBBISH BINS !

Make them out of wood/stone/plastic I'm not fussed.
Just put them out there for the dirty bastards to see and maybe use.
Sort me out a couple and I'll put them out myself.

:o)

Shhh! Don’t mention Avebury!

Lanolin’s good for your skin but is it good for the stones?

...but only for the day. This is a nice little story -

“...the idea of the project was to show children that history did not start with the Romans, Anglo Saxons and Vikings, as history books sometimes depict, but much earlier with the people who built the great monuments like Avebury, Silbury Hill and Stonehenge more than 4,000 years ago.

“Under Mrs Swanton’s guidance children from St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Swindon built an exact replica of one of the buried stones in the Kennett Avenue and used their paper-covered chicken wire “stone” to fill in one of the gaps in the avenue – but just for one day.”

More here - http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/9165931.Youngsters_build_on_pre_history_at_Avebury/

Id quite happily remove all the buildings or most of them from the sanctuary, it would be possible to divert the road behind the manor and along the winterbourne. you could join the bottom of the high street to avebury trusloe with a new road and have a single village once more. Could put the Red Lion at the cross roads. the odd picturesque cottage like the henge shop would not hurt left in the sanctuary. Its not like it would cost billions like a tunnel. Do you know the origin of the word henge Sanctuary. Seams very similar to hedge, sanctuary.

Couple of years ago I had an email from an Avebury resident about the possibility of a cellar by the Cove – there was no more info other than that but, looking at Lord Avebury’s photo of his grandfather standing in front of the now demolished building behind him (and it’s proximity to the Cove) couldn’t help wondering if the building ever did have a cellar and, if so, whether it might still be there...

Not that I’m suggesting that it should reopen as an alternative to the Red Lion...

Re: Modern Avebury by Ronald Hutton.

Professor Hutton writes -

“Between 1841 and 1871 the population of the [Avebury] settlement virtually doubled, so that it pressed even harder on the ancient remains. Small wonder that visiting antiquarians began to refer to the village as a whole with resentment and concern, Joseph Hunter calling it a ‘vile hamlet’ in 1829 and Sir John Lubbock a ‘beautiful parasite’ in 1865...”

Not much change there then ;-) except that Lubbock, in 1872, “...when land containing some of the remaining stones was offered for sale as a potential housing development... bought some himself to block development...”

Pity there wasn’t a benefactor of similar status around to block the more recent housing development on the doorstep of the north-east quadrant.

Nigel Kerton writing in the The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald today reports that -

"People who live in Avebury or who visit the village and would like to have a say about the way the village famous for its stone circles and Silbury Hill is managed, will be given an opportunity when the World Heritage Site Management Plan is updated. World Heritage Site officer Sarah Simmons said it was vitally important that those with an interest in the village were involved in revising the last management plan created in 2005.

"There will be two opportunities for the public to put forward their ideas and suggestions, at the Avebury Social centre next Tuesday. Ms Simmonds will be available to answer questions and listen to ideas at drop in sessions in the Social Centre on Avebury High Street next Tuesday between 2 -7 pm and in Marlborough Library on Monday, August 13, between 2 -7pm."

More here.

Mostly concerned with traffic control and improved signage though this bit on Page 9 is encouraging -

“...long term it would be useful to have a footpath connecting the Waggon & Horses public house with the Silbury Hill car park as this would allow pedestrians a means to walk to Silbury Hill and the West Kennett Long Barrow without having to walk on the A4 itself. This should be screened by verges to maintain a rural character.”

Not sure of this bit on Page 21 -

“...have suggested flower boxes, gates or similar features, and others have recommended that a unique design – related to the World Heritage Site – might be used for West Kennett, and other settlements in the Parish, to mark the settlement boundaries and to increase the sense of place. Entrance markers such as sarsen stones may be more fitting for all hamlets and villages in Avebury Parish in order to maintain a feel of continuity.”

There’s a suggestion that the B4003 (The West Kennet Avenue road) might be closed or ‘downplayed’ on Page 22. Sadly there seems to be no suggestion for a wider verge at the Diamond Stone or improved parking at the West Kennet and East Kennet laybys. Overall impression is that The Avebury Parish Traffic Plan is more to serve local residents and those who work in the area than the thousands more who visit the WHS each year.

“Two open community meetings will be held in Avebury’s Social Centre at 10.30am on 23rd February and at 5.30pm on 7th March to discuss this traffic plan, and further amendments will follow as a result of these meetings.”

More here - www.aveburyparishcouncil.org/Draft%20Traffic%20Plan.pdf