Yellow Gloss Paint all over the Rollrights

The Rollright Stones 40

Image by Jane

Holy McGrail Apr 1, 2004 12:43:06

Eeeek!
http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/post/26123

<blockquote>Some absolute mindless tw*t(s) seem to think its a good prank to have splattered bright yellow gloss paint over the entire ring in some cases both sides of the stones. Damage was found this morning by a member of a geo-phys team arrving for work. The oldest measured lichen colony in the UK has a line of paint running down it plus splatters.</blockquote>

This isn't an April Fool as it was posted to the Stones List by a member of the Rollright Trust.

Bastards.

Pete G Apr 1, 2004 12:48:18

Replying to Holy McGrail

Fer feck sake! I do hope this is an April fools joke and hasn't really happened!
PeteG

FourWinds Apr 1, 2004 13:31:40

Replying to Holy McGrail

Nothing here ... http://www.rollrightstones.co.uk/

Sincerely hoping it's a wind-up ...

cHARLIE Apr 1, 2004 13:43:32

Replying to Holy McGrail

Fecken Bastards is nothing safe from mindless twats in this world.
Really made me sad that has.
CharLie*

nigelswift Apr 1, 2004 17:18:15

Replying to Holy McGrail

Still hoping it's not true, but losing hope. Vandalism doesn't seem to fit the bill somehow.... "over the entire ring in some cases both sides"... quite a big effort, and pre-planned.... but why?

Pete G Apr 1, 2004 18:42:35

Replying to Holy McGrail

I managed to get a few digital pics from the TV report tonight
http://aveburytour.mysite.freeserve.com/RollrightPaint.jpg
and
http://aveburytour.mysite.freeserve.com/RollrightPaint1.jpg
PeteG

Moth Apr 1, 2004 22:38:06

Replying to Holy McGrail

Wot is there to say...?

I am SOOO not looking forward to telling Jane about this when she gets back from Cyprus and I pick her up from Heathrow tomorrow night. (I deliberately haven't told her by txt or phone.)

For those who don't know, she reckons the Rollrights mark the centre of her world - having grown up in Stratford on Avon and settled in Oxfordshire. It's one of the most important places in her life....

love

Moth

nigelswift Apr 2, 2004 07:25:28

Replying to Holy McGrail

Since it's happened before elsewhere, and sadly may happen again, it would be good if there was a known procedure for dealing with it. Judging by discussions on Britarch there are various possible techniques.

But in particular, and without claiming any technical knowledge, I can't help thinking that if this was found very quickly whilst it was still wet then very low pressure hosing down by the fire brigade might have removed the lot without affecting the lichen. Just depends on the particular type of gloss paint involved.

Don't know if that's right, but EH ought to develop an action plan for such things in conjunction with paint manufacturers.

Pete G Apr 2, 2004 16:05:55

Replying to Holy McGrail

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/3593003.stm
the Beeb have an online article about it
PeteG

Moth Apr 3, 2004 07:56:54

Replying to Holy McGrail

I am utterly lost for words, so I growl and rage!

Moth picked me up from Heathrow last night and sensibly told me only once I had a cup of coffee and a fag in hand. Moth and me going up to the Rollrights shortly to assess the damage for ourselves.

The Rollrights ARE The Epicentre of my Life and if I could just get hold of the bollocks of the guy/guys who did this I would rip them off with my teeth. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Mrs Angry of Oxford
x

PS Cyprus was great! Kalavassos Tenta neolithic village - Rock n Roll! (Had to climb over a spiky fence to get in but was it ever worth it! Rock cut chambers by the runway at RAF Akrotiri - fab! and rock cut tombs at Agios Ermitoudou near Episkopi - wonderous!!! And it was meant to be a work trip!)

nigelswift Apr 3, 2004 15:00:10

Replying to Holy McGrail

Jane, your words in your weblog

"Although this 'Shock, Horror' vandalism, coming so suddenly and so graphically to our attention baffles us, how is it -ultimately- any different to the sneaky ploughing, the metal detectoring, the chip-chip-chipping away at our ancient heritage that happens unnoticed every day of every year...?"

just about hits it on the button. We're doing a Rollrights here and there every single day in this short-sighted valueless culture of ours and the terrible thing is that every backwards step is totally irrevocable. If anybody hasn't yet joined Heritage Action they bloody well should. It probably won't stop mindless vandals but it might stop some of the calculating ones.

Cursuswalker Apr 6, 2004 04:13:04

Replying to Holy McGrail

Just searching Google I came across this:

http://www.sanmarcosrecord.com/articles/2004/04/04/news/news2.txt

"Sometime overnight, someone used yellow spray paint to write "Kill Bush" on a section of the memorial where names of local veterans are displayed on a sloping wall. The same slogan, along with others, was repeated on the back of the memorial."

Who knows...

Dominic_Brayne Apr 6, 2004 12:11:23

Replying to Holy McGrail

I have been out of the country and just returned to read this terrible news. I cannot even begin to try and imagine the mindset of someone who does this sort of thing.

They had better be careful though, as there is more than one form of magic(k)...

ulfrafen Apr 6, 2004 14:40:35

Replying to Holy McGrail

This act is just plain sick! Why would anyone feel the need to do such a thing? Well, we have fools in the US as well. Some folks like to destroy or damage american indian rock carvings and former sacred sites. I've been out in the Utah and Colorado area and seen the damage. Damn them all..

Ulfrafen, Utah