I recently received correspondence from local author Ian Cooke about a scheme proposed by Natural England's HEATH project to fence off parts of the Penwith Moors in West Cornwall in readiness to graze cattle. In imminent danger is Nine Maidens Common. I visited the site today and here is my humble opinion on the sorry saga.

The Nine Maidens of Boskednan. Photo credit: Alex Langstone

Nine Maidens Common and other areas of significant archaeological importance are under threat from the Natural England HEATH project. The project has plans to manage the wild moorland of Penwith in West Cornwall. Whilst I have absolutely no objection to the management of the moors (they do need managing, otherwise they will become bracken and gorse thickets! ) I am concerned that by putting up fencing and allowing cattle to graze areas such as the Nine Maidens common will be detrimental to the sensitive nature of the landscape. Cattle cannot eat much bracken, and as bracken is the main problem on the moors, I do not really understand why we need any more grazing than we already have? Land management by bracken clearing is one of the things that the HEATH project are already successfully implementing through education and the need to clear with traditional methods using machinery, hand tools and people.

The Land's End peninsula is world famous for its archaeology and beauty; and whilst it is, and should remain, a working landscape, we need to strike a balance between the needs to the land, the needs of farmers and the needs of tourism. The HEATH project is a well-meant project, and in some areas cattle grazing is a good idea. But, cattle around ancient sites of significant cultural importance can create muddy quagmires on open moorland. Damage to the stones and the fabric of these ancient monuments can be substantial when cattle are allowed to graze amongst them. Erecting fences with points of access through gates will create damage and erosion to the landscape by funnelling people into small areas of entry. Cattle also congregate at these entry points, which can only make the problem worse. Nine maidens common does not need any grazing. I visited the site today, and it is well managed enough already. It is one of the most popular areas of open moorland in Penwith, with access to such famous sites as the Men an Tol, Nine Maidens stone circle, Men Scryfa and Carn Galva. Plus loads of other Bronze Age barrows and standing stones, not well known, but equally important. Other areas such as Mulfra Common and Lanyon are also being considered for grazing. It is important to note that the Nine Maidens Common is a registered common, and as such, needs the permission of the Secretary of State for Environment before any changes can occur.

Most importantly, Nine Maidens Common contains some of the finest and most interesting prehistoric sites in Southern Britain. Boskednan stone circle (marked on OS map as Nine Maidens, pictured above) is partly ruinous, but retains enough to be a dominating presence on the moor. When first viewed from the footpath, it stands out prominently almost on the top of the highest ridge. Eleven stones remain of the original twenty-two, one of which is remarkably tall for the stone circles of the region, standing at 2 metres. Other stones range from 1 to 1.3 metres in height. A slightly later round barrow touches the south side and can be clearly seen. About 40 metres north- north-west of the circle can be seen the remaining stump of an outlying menhir, and further to the north are the remains of three round barrows, one of which still has its large retaining stones, (pictured below) though the earthen mound has long since departed the scene! All in all this is a superb Bronze Age archaeological landscape, which needs to be protected and preserved.

In conclusion land management is vital to the conservation of our moors and heaths, but not by cattle grazing at the more sensitive archaeological sites please!

A dedicated website has been set up by local author Ian Cooke, please visit and sign the petition, write to local MP, Andrew George, write to the Secretary of State for Environment, The Rt. Hon. Hilary Benn MP, and above all, tell people about this. It is vital we all have our viewpoint put forward before it is too late.

www.savepenwithmoors.com

You can also contact the HEATH project and visit their website www.theheathproject.org.uk
Point of contact: Joe Oliver, partnership manager. Email: joe.oliver@naturalengland.org.uk

Or write to: The HEATH Project, Natural England, Pydar House, Pydar Street, Truro, TR1 1XU, tel 01872 245045

Andrew George MP, Trewella, 18 Mayne Rd, Penzance TR18 4NG.

Secretary of State for the Environment. The Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR

Avebury is a unique, 5000 year old Neolithic (New Stone Age) 'henge' or ritual circle in North Wiltshire, Southwest Britain. The henge encompasses an unrelated village, which crept inside the circle millennia later. The monument is a colossal arrangement of tall megaliths ['mega'- big; 'lithos'- stone], some weighing over 100 tonnes. Avebury is rightly a wonder of the world, and attracts thousands of visitors each year.

However, until the pioneering archaeologist Alexander Keiller began excavation and restoration work, in the 1930s, there was very little to see, apart from quaint houses - built from demolished standing stones, and forlorn megaliths ringed round with fences and shrubbery. Even the circle's impressive banked-ditch (originally 9m deep) was hidden beneath village rubbish, being used as the local refuse tip! Keiller cleared the ditch and re-erected half of the Stone Age site, before his health gave way, and his considerable yet finite funds were exhausted. World War 2 saw the end of Keiller's vision, to restore the whole monument, and he died in 1955. He left his unfinished restoration to the National Trust for posterity.

Historically, Alexander Keiller wasn't the only fan of Avebury. John Aubrey 'discovered' the monument, when he chanced upon its "vast stones" in 1649. A little less than a century later, the antiquarian William Stukeley made a detailed study of the megalithic complex, work which in many ways blazed the trail for the partial restoration 300 years later. Stukeley witnessed the direct results of sustained violence upon Avebury's stones, and importantly recorded megaliths which have since tragically vanished.

In modern times, folks visit and indeed use Avebury as a place of worship. But this awe-inspiring, open air temple remains, as Keiller had to leave it, semi-restored, semi-ruinous. The whole area is now designated a World Heritage Site, which designation frowns upon raising up, fallen and buried standing stones: mute testimony to the ravages of an unsympathetic past.

Can we not, enthusiasts and specialists alike, complete the work of restoring Avebury, as a mark of respect to the inspired exertions of Alexander Keiller, and the Avebury People who built an incredible monument 5000 years ago, which we would struggle to equal today with modern technology?

The author - a pagan polytheist - seeks to form a loose, informal forum, for the exchange of ideas and experiences, towards once again restoring Avebury. He can be contacted at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Avebury_uk_/ and looks forward to hearing from like-minded stone-lovers, with a view to our megalithic heritage and future.