Jim Leary on page 119 of his book 'The Story of Silbury Hill' draws a very engaging comparison between Silbury and some very recent mounds:
'The massive amount of rubble, clay and soil dug up during the demolition [of the old Wembly Stadium] was not put into landfill as would normally happen from a less sacred site, but was turned instead into four huge conical mounds just ouside London. To all outward appearance they resemble latter-day Silburys made up of the soil sanctified by decades of iconic sporting events and rock concerts.'
I have just followed this up and found that these 'conical mounds' are known as the Northala Fields - and the process of their creation is summarised in an article on Sky News:
‘Around a million tons of rubble, clay and soil dug up during the demolition of the old Wembley and the building of the new stadium would usually have been dumped on a landfill site. But much of the waste from the stadium, and other major construction projects in London, was instead recycled.
Builders carried 60,000 lorry loads of material to a site near the A40 just outside London. The busy main road carries thousands of cars a day to Oxford and Birmingham but the noise was a blight on nearby towns - until now.
The four mounds, which are up to 22 metres tall, block much of the noise from the road, and are also part of a recreation park built on old wasteland. And because Ealing Council charged up to £90 per truck to dump the waste the project cost taxpayers absolutely nothing.
Named Northala fields, it contains the small hills - which look like small tors - fishing lakes and a small area of woodland.
Architect Peter Fink, from Form Associates, which designed the project said he wanted to build a "multi-layered recreation area" and "urban fishery". The mounds are extremely effective at breaking up the intrusive sound of the A40,"he said. (http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Sky-News-Archive/Article/20080641315994)
The other major construction project mentioned in the article above is the nearby Westfield Shopping Centre at White City.
Some striking pictures of these mounds can be seen here: http://www.lda-design.co.uk/northala_fields/
I hope people find this of some interest.
fachtna
