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Heritage Journal
news and views from Heritage Action
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Neglected Panorama
November 29, 2005, 6:39 pm
Just across the road from St. Margaret's church in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, fenced in by tall iron railings, are three broken stones which once formed part of a single large stone called the Panorama Stone.
These remnants are marked with 'cup and ring' carvings which were incised by our prehistoric ancestors. The Panorama Stone originally stood less than a mile away but was moved in about 1890 to make way for urban development. It was cut into four pieces, of which only three remain.
The meaning of these remarkable carvings is now lost to us, but is part of an ancient tradition of engraving patterns into rocks. Many large stones can still be seen in situ on nearby Rombold's Moor with so-called 'rock art' on them. Over the years the carvings on the Panorama Stone have badly deteriorated due to weather and more recently, disgraceful vandalism and sheer neglect.
 
Neglect
Heritage Action member Brian Kerr, who visited the stones last week, said: "They are in a pretty poor state. Their protective railings are rusty and broken and the stones are covered with all sorts of rubbish. Most of all, I'm shocked at the amount of graffiti on stones across the moor. Some of it has been carved in the past 100 years, but there is a lot of spray paint graffiti, too."
Brian also noticed that one of the stones has green paint on it, the same paint used on the railings.
Local stones for local people
Brian contacted Ilkley's St Margaret's Park Restoration Project. Brian Mann from the project has been trying to get the stones moved to a more suitable location where they can be appreciated by local people, many of who probably do not even realise that they have such unusual ancient treasure in their midst. Sadly, so far, his efforts have been unsuccessful.
Brian K says: "The stones have a ladder pattern motif, unique to rock art in this area. It would be such a loss to let these stones go to ruin. I'm sure the people of Ilkley would be proud of their heritage if they knew it was there, and for the many visitors to Ilkley it would add another unique dimension to the town."
Heritage Action has offered to assist Mr Mann in his efforts to get the stones tidied up. The stones also need to be laser scanned to properly record them and to be reset in an archaeologically sensitive way.
We'll keep you posted on what happens.
All photos by Brian Kerr
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Silbury: reasons for optimism?
November 27, 2005, 10:42 pm
More than 70 people packed into the Corn Exchange in Devizes, Wiltshire on Saturday to attend a
public meeting, hosted by English Heritage (EH), to discuss the proposed repair options for Silbury
Hill.
Photo: Moth Clark
Silbury Hill, a unique 5,000-year-old man-made chalk mound, suffered catastrophic collapses in old excavation shafts in May 2000 causing a hole to appear at the summit. The monument is a much-loved national landmark of huge archaeological importance and Heritage Action believes that sensitive structural engineering is paramount in its repair.
Silbury Hill, with its chalky hole on the summit. Photo: Jane Tomlinson
The meeting was chaired by archaeologist Mike Pitts and the panel was made up of EH staff, including Amanda Chadburn, Bob Bewley and Fachtna McAvoy, the author of the risk assessment document on Silbury's repair options. They gave presentations about the current state of hill and described the background leading up to the recent collapses.
Heritage Action has always called for public accountability and transparency when considering repair options for Silbury, and for them to explain simply and clearly why they feel the option they have chosen is the best one - from an engineering point of view.
HA was able to put specific questions and these were answered by a geotechnical engineer, Professor Richard Chandler and Fachtna McAvoy.
Professor Chandler told the meeting he felt strongly that despite the many unknown factors, the best way to preserve the integrity of the monument was to remove the loose material in the old excavation tunnels and replace it with new compacted chalk. This appears to be the 'least worst' option carrying the fewest risks of further damage.
Fachtna McAvoy addressed HA's concerns over the amount of material from Silbury that would be lost in the repair process. Our main concern on this was allayed to some extent, but we remain cautious. The chosen contractor will need to carry out the repairs with utmost sensitivity and it is EH's responsibility to make utterly sure of that.
We welcomed the opportunity to share ideas, information and understanding about the monument.
Crucially, we are reassured by the knowledge of Professor Chandler and his commitment to Silbury's integrity.
More information will appear on our Silbury pages in the next few days.
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Waterlogged archaeology drying out
November 15, 2005, 5:28 pm
A recent survey of waterlogged archaeology in the Somerset Levels highlighted the serious threat to these sites bought about by increasingly dry summers and modern agricultural practices.
Waterlogged areas such as the Somerset Levels, the Fens and the peat bogs of Ireland are a unique environment for the preservation of historic organic relics. The still, oxygen-deficient water of bogs hinders the spread of bacteria and other micro-organisms that decompose organic matter. It acts as a preservative medium for organic materials such as skin, cloth and plant remains; matter that in an oxygenated environment would have vanished.
The survey of wooden walkways of the Somerset Levels carried out by heritage officer Richard Brunnings and English Heritage's Gareth Watkins, found that all but two of a collection of thirteen Bronze Age wooden paths, which had been preserved for more than 5,000 years in the waterlogged peat beds, had been destroyed or vanished altogether, while others had been reduced to fragments by the desiccation process.
In order to prevent further damage to our heritage, drainage and removal of water in these environments should be closely monitored and regulated, and pressure bought to bear to preserve the archaeology of these areas before even more of our heritage dries up beneath our feet.
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First stage of Castle Hill consultation ends
November 15, 2005, 5:12 pm
The first stage of the public consultation about the future of Castle Hill, Huddersfield (pictured below) has finished.
Photo: Dave Kendall-Smith
Atkins Heritage, the company that has been tasked with investigating the public's attitude towards the Iron Age hill fort, has reported the questionnaire a great success. Many members of the public put their view across by answering the questionnaires on the streets of Huddersfield, on the hill itself and via online and postal forms.
Public interest in the future of the hill has been fantastic and the questionnaire was a great success. Gareth Talbot, of Atkins Heritage said: "It's encouraging that so many people want to have a say and speaks volumes for the attachment and feelings people have for the place."
The process continues with a draft report, a final public consultation and then the completed management action plan early next year. Watch this space!
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The Commons Bill and archaeology
November 2, 2005, 8:57 am
About 55% of common land in England is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and 43% of this is classified by English Nature as in poor or declining condition and therefore bad for wildlife.
To rectify this and promote sustainable farming practices, public access and biodiversity, the Government has set out legislation to deliver a target of returning 95% of these sites into good condition by 2010. The Commons Bill is a move towards this, and having already gone through the House of Commons, is now in the House of Lords, where it is undergoing Grand Review.
The Bill, however, is not without its critics though, particularly from the commoners, who see it as further evidence of the Government meddling in land management, by imposing grazing restrictions on land and severely restricting stocking levels on the commons for a significant part of the year. In the South West, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) insists that Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor are overgrazed, but have yet to provide a definition of overgrazing to the commoners.
These changes to grazing and stocking levels may lead to fragile archaeology suffering, as structures and features are hidden and/or destroyed as the vegetation cover re-establishes itself. On Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, the increase in gorse bought about by a previous grazing restriction is stopping all but the most determined of walkers trying to reach the Longhouse on Fox Tor, for example.
Of course, increasing vegetation cover can be a good thing by protecting structures and features that are seen to be at risk. Some see it as a method of conserving them for future investigation, but - at the very least - these sites need to be mapped now, before they are lost beneath the gorse, heather and bracken, and before the chance to further understand our prehistory is hidden from us.
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