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Fragile stones damaged YET AGAIN!
September 26, 2005, 10:03 pm
We have received yet MORE reports of damage to the desperately fragile Twelve Apostles of Ilkley Moor stone circle. These photos by David Raven show the extent of the damage:
Last year's central stone is now replaced with a campfire, old newspapers, cigarette packets, drinks bottles. Disgusting!
And one of the stones has been very recently smashed.
Another stone has to be propped up by two others.
In June we wrote to West Yorkshire Archaeology Service expressing our concerns about the delicate nature of the remaining stones, urging prompt and long-overdue action to fix the stones into more robust footings. In July we received a reply after they had been in touch with the English Heritage Field Monument Warden for the region, Pippa Pemberton.
Ms. Pemberton had recently visited the site and, we are told: "is currently in the process of contacting the owner to discuss future management options."
To date, we at Heritage Action have not been able to establish who they mean by 'the owner'. If anyone reading this knows, please tell us so we can write to them directly and apply pressure to all parties responsible: the landowner, West Yorkshire Archaeology Service and English Heritage.
We know that all except one of the stones have been toppled then re-erected over the last century - so isn't it high time that they were properly secured? How much longer will it take?
The truth is, if we don't see some action soon, the circle will be lost forever.
The entire circle in September 2003. Photo: Moth Clark
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Thornborough: planning application rejected
September 16, 2005, 10:03 pm
North Yorkshire planning officers' recommendation on quarrying near the 5,000-year-old Thornborough henges has been published. They recommend that the planning committee reject Tarmac's to extend Nosterfield Quarry at Ladybridge Farm, Thornborough, near Ripon, to extract 2.2 million tonnes of sand and gravel over four years.
The application was submitted in June last year and immediately brought protests from those who feared for the future of the henges, about a kilometre south-east of the extension area.
Nearly 850 letters of objection and three petitions with a total of 9,680 signatures were sent in.
Planning officials said the proposal would have "an unacceptable impact on nationally important archaeological remains". This is a major blow to Tarmac. Their Northern estates manager Bob Nicholson said: "We have only just learnt of the officers' recommendation and will need to study the report to committee in detail before we are able to comment further."
Tarmac has insisted throughout that the development would pose no threat to the henges, saying the extension would be further from the earthworks than the existing quarry site.
George Chaplin, chairman of pressure group <a href="http://www.timewatch.org.uk">TimeWatch</a>, who has run a long and vigorous campaign to save the landscape of Thornborough from further exploitation said: "It's not a done deal, as the planning committee can still go against the officers' recommendations."
If the application is rejected, Tarmac may withdraw the application altogether or they may appeal. If they fail an appeal then they can't re-apply for another two years.
George continues: "While this is obviously good news, it's not the end of the story yet. Tarmac will more than likely withdraw the current application, and then submit a new modified one at a later date. Still, it's a step in the right direction."
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Calamanach - new stone discovered
September 2, 2005, 10:03 pm
Heritage Action site inspector Andy Sweet recently encountered a stone not marked on a map or with any reference to it while on bike ride in Perthshire.
The stone stands approximately 1.2m high, and around the base there are packing stones visible.
"At first" said Andy "I wondered if it was just a marker for the track, but there are clues to suggest it's more significant than that. I reported it to the county archaeologist and have just heard back from him that he thinks it might be a genuine prehistoric standing stone!"
Andy's next move is to report it to RCAHMS, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, to see if it's to be listed. "I've named it Calamanach, after the wood it's next to" said Andy "we'll have to see whether it's confirmed for inclusion and whether the name gets adopted".
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