Silbury diary

Subject: Silbury diary Sat Jan 05, 2008 9:38 pm

Silbury diary

I have been keeping a diary of events at Silbury on the above link.
I updated today as I found two voids have appeared above the Atkinson tunnel.
Lets hope the weather holds and these can be filled before anymore damage occurs.
PeteG

Admin Joined : 20 Dec 2007 Posts : 98

Lots of good info there Pete.....Seems our early tunnellers have now got a lot to answer for though the Skanska engineers seem to have got a handle on it....With the additional problems caused by the heavy rain it makes you wonder how close it was to a bigger disaster if the repair work hadn't got underway when it did.....Be nice when the old girl gets some peace & quiet!
Thanks for keeping us posted..

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 24

Hi Pete G

Some really interesting information here!

The holes above the Merewether tunnel are alarming!

It's very sad to see Silbury Hill in such a state. Let's hope the recent works can prevent any further damage.

Fluffy

Subject: Silbury holes Mon Jan 07, 2008 5:10 pm

Hi Flurry,
I went to see the Skanska chief engineer, Mark Kirkbride, today.
He has inspected the holes and showed me the photos.
They are only 2 feet deep and have not penetrated into the tunnel below other than some slippage of the bottom hole which has leaked some chalk at the entrance.
The holes will be dealt with shortly so its not as bad as it looks.
PeteG

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 24

That's a relief. The poor hill is starting to look a bit of a mess, but I guess you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs!

I'm sure all will come good at the end.

Fluffy

Subject: Update Fri Jan 11, 2008 4:34 pm

Skanska have released an update
Update 27 (pdf)
PeteG

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:38 pm

Silbury Hill is on TV this evening in the BBC2 Newsnight programme which starts at 10.30 p.m.
as per

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/7215842.stm

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Tue Jan 29, 2008 6:59 pm

Thanks for that Terry!

I just had a look at the link - it's to a piece by Stephen Smith the 'Newsnight Culture Correspondent'. What a w***** he is!

Unbelievably pretentious writing, considering the subject. It starts:

'You're in your jouncing people-carrier, taking in the agreeable but unremarkable view...'

I look forward to seeing this!

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 471 Location : Wiltshire

Steve, I am so glad you said that - we are in agreement. Were you by any chance searching for that good old English word 'wanker'...... oops sorry, Admin my figure slipped.

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Tue Jan 29, 2008 10:57 pm

I'm surprised the forum software let you do that! Last week I tried to say that something was a load of ******** and it just replaced it with asterisks.

And before you all start experimenting with different swear words, and ruining this otherwise very worthwhile thread - DON'T!

Admin Joined : 20 Dec 2007 Posts : 98

Damn.....didn't think to put w****r on the banned list!.....Must let a few through or else it will get boring Shocked

Subject: Silbury film Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:25 am

well that wasn't as Belgium as it could have been.
Same old stock footage tho
PeteG

Subject: Silbury film Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:30 pm

the Newsnight film can be seen online here

Silbury - Last glimpse inside ancient enigma

PeteG

Joined : 18 Jan 2008 Posts : 154

Thanks for that link Pete. I missed it last night 'cos it clashed with an important football match (according to my husband anyway!).

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 24

Hello Avebury Forum!

Well I'm back after a fantastic few days with a friend down in Wiltshire. We spent one or two of these days in Avebury, just enjoying the beautiful stones with the fantastic blue sky backdrop.

We visited Silbury along the muddy footpath that runs from opposite the National Trust carpark, which is a fantastic way of seeing Silbury and a route I'd not previously taken.

It is good to see her still standing, but I must say I was shocked to see the condition of her. The works vehicles and huts have obviously impacted a lot and this is thankfully only temporary, but the top of the hill appears to have drooped somewhat over the years!

I got home yesterday and managed to catch the Newsnight section, which took me by surprise as I didn't know it was on. It was very interesting, I thought. The hole at the top is immense! I knew it was there but I didn't expect that!

However it didn't spoil my short break too much.

I managed to ask a few people what they thought of the proposed housing just outside the village, and of those I asked, none of them expected the houses to be affordable, or even bought by locals. A few people said it should be either a carpark or turfed over.

I hadn't noticed your excellent map before I went but I wish I had! It will make my next visit something to look forward to. I look forward to looking more closely at the places where stones no longer stand.

I notice as well with the map overlay how many stones would have been built over with buildings and roads! I'd always known that this was the case but I'd not known it was so many! Did I read correctly on your website that the village inside the henge dates from Saxon times? Or was the village, even then, still outside the henge?

I visited the churchyard as well which I'd never done before which was a fantastic peaceful experience.

I think maybe I should have started a new topic for this message! Sorry if I've rambled more than I meant to!

Fluffy

Admin Joined : 20 Dec 2007 Posts : 98

Hi Fluffy,
Glad you had an interesting visit to the stones & Silbury.....Quite when the village encroached to within the henge itself doesn't seem certain in any literature I've read....It appears that superstition may have initially prevented any such encroachment though a sixth century AD timber hut was excavated just outside the western bank. There was some evidence of dry stone walls and possibly buildings dating from the medieval within the henge according to H.St.George Gray......Perhaps Pete or Terry are better informed.

Subject: Silbury Diary Thu Jan 31, 2008 8:13 pm

BumblingB is your man for houses and dates.
PeteG

Joined : 19 Jan 2008 Posts : 215

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 24

Thanks for the information, Admin!

That's a really great starting point.

It's just idle curiosity for now, but it would be interesting to know at what stage in history it began to be used as a settlement. I seem to remember a drawing of the stones before they were re-erected and it didn't really look like somewhere that could easily be inhabited.

Of course the idle curiosity was stemmed by thinking about how a fully fledged village came to be in the middle of a stone circle!

I may start a new thread about this rather than subvert this one further.

In the meantime - any more information would e gratefuly received, Bumbling B!

Fluffy

Joined : 19 Jan 2008 Posts : 215

Joined : 17 Jan 2008 Posts : 86

Wouldn't it be great if all the information, pictures, videos and finds, from the current Silbury dig, could all be gathered together, and kept in the village as a resource for future generations?

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Wed Feb 20, 2008 5:09 pm

Update 29

februarys update is now available.
It seems many of the arches cannot be removed without causing a lot of damage so are being left in place.
PeteG

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 850 Location : Surrey

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:11 pm

did you get the rar file I emailed with the Suprise Packet article?

There is not much news on Silbury as the infilling is a slow process and there is no new archaeology to report.
Hopefully the hill will be completely filled by the end of March.
PeteG

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 850 Location : Surrey

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Wed Feb 20, 2008 9:03 pm

I resent it.
It's 8 Mb's so too big to post here.
Many of the locals still remember the military operation and tell me there were barrack tents from Avebury all the way to Devizes.
PeteG

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 850 Location : Surrey

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 850 Location : Surrey

Thanks Pete, I have the Photo's now..

Strange to see..

I found out today that my Hard Drive died...

Guess who hadn't backed up most of His folders Sad

The good news is, the Guy reckons He can retrieve everything on it..

I will get a new Hard Drive more Ram and it won't cost me a penny.

Son in Laws a director and they own me... I gave them a photo for their web site..

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Sat Feb 23, 2008 1:46 am

"Guess who hadn't backed up most of His folders"

Shame on you! bounce

if your friend has problems bring it me, I am pretty good at recovering lost data on harddrives,
PeteG

Joined : 08 Jan 2008 Posts : 28

Available online for another six days:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/page/item/b0084l01.shtml?src=ip_mlt

Duration: 60 minutes

Documentary following the final archaeological exploration of the interior of the largest man-made mound in Europe - Silbury Hill, one of our most mysterious prehistoric landmarks.

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:02 pm

Update 30 is out.
The tunnel has been filled and the concrete entrance lintel removed.
the hole on top is well on its way to being filled.
PeteG
Update 30

Joined : 17 Jan 2008 Posts : 86

So........What sort of info will come down the cables that they've left in?

The paste must contain many tons of water, which will have to evaporate or drain away.

Meanwhile, is the excess tonnage putting a strain on the hill?

Subject: Silbury Hill - Sat 22 March Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:00 pm

Came past Silbury Hill on Sat. night and got to take a few pictures before it rained again.

The hill looked very sad. Crying or Very sad

Subsidence was clearly evident on the southern section of the hill, by the road, above the area where the 1968 door stood.

The strong winds had blow all the filling off the top of the hill.

Lets hope they can get the job finished before any more subsidence takes place.

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Mon Mar 24, 2008 9:21 pm

well the tunnel is completely filled and the top hole almost complete so there isn't anywhere for anything to collapse into.
The work should be completed by the end of this week.
PeteG

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 471 Location : Wiltshire

Great news that the work is almost completed. When all the building paraphernalia is finally cleared away, I will take a quiet walk along the green track by the little bridge over the Winterbourne and - as an earth-sky believer - lay down small discreet offering of berries/fruit, just to say Welcome Back.

Joined : 17 Jan 2008 Posts : 86

Good pics Chance.

I hope the concrete mixer/truck only had chalk through it.

Will there be some kind of celebration when the hill is sound again?

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Fri Mar 28, 2008 10:27 pm

The last stage is underway. The voids have been filled and now the surface is being compacted with chalk and soil ready for turfing over.
PeteG

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 850 Location : Surrey

Clearly, when the water drains out of the Chalk Slurry it will leave air spaces which in time will mean settlement and more voids...

Hopefully.. it will be hundreds of years before they need to address any problems that occur when that happens..

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 471 Location : Wiltshire

Silbury seems to cause an emotional response from almost everyone who engages in debate about its conservation and future. I personally have had my fingers burnt by commenting on views expressed on a different forum - I'm not an archaeologist, just someone who lives nearby and loves the landscape that has Silbury at its centre. I went past today, having met a friend with a vehicle and, even in the driving rain, I had a very good feeling about Silbury.

The final 'wound' in the side of the hill is being closed and the hill (mound) is starting to feel as it did before - to use a metaphor, healed. What happens in a few hundred years time seems academic in these times of impending environmental catastrophe - what is tangible and real today is that the hill is no longer in danger on collasping in on itself and the job of filling the voids is done in spite of the unforeseen weather hazards. English Heritage may have been culpable in not acting more speedily but the job is done and I for one would like to say a big Thank You to the project workers who saw the job through. What Silbury needs now is what we all need - some sunshine (if thats me 'projecting' then what the heck). Shine on Silbury!! sunny

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Sun Mar 30, 2008 2:24 am

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Sun Mar 30, 2008 2:35 am

"Terry was on top, trying to evoke lightning, "

Why?
Thats just completely bonkers!
A bright sunny August day when lightning is least expected and for what reason?

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 850 Location : Surrey

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 471 Location : Wiltshire

Great pictures Chance, though I have to admit to sitting here giggling (sorry). Am sort of glad I wasn't around when he got his weapons out.

Seriously though, I will make a note about the eclipse on Aug 1st and, if possible, wander on out there.

Best wishes to all.

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 850 Location : Surrey

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Sun Mar 30, 2008 2:58 pm

Joined : 15 Jan 2008 Posts : 850 Location : Surrey

Subject: More Swords pictures Mon Mar 31, 2008 10:10 pm

The Keeper of the Stones, fearlessly performing part of the Lammas ceremony on top of Silbury Hill.

Thanks to Terry, the harvest was gathered in and very little rain was seen for nearly 3 weeks.

The Keeper of the Stones being congratulated by the brave Saska workers of Silbury Hill and Professor Ronald Hutton.

A replica Bronze Age sword of Mediterranean design. Note this is not the item referred to in my earlier post concerning the Germanic harp playing Celt.
His weapons were concealed with a secret compartment of the VW camper, and he refused me permission to photograph them. He had to get back through customs to Germany!

The sword hilt, showing simple riveting.

Another gathering, another sword. This is 1 of 1000 (No. 363) from "The Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy.

It is worth pointing out that the Avebury parish council have introduced a sword ban for any area of the Avebury complex. I have never seen this ban enforced, but please follow the parish council code and leave all your thrusting weapons, of whatever vintage, safely sheathed and away from Avebury.

Joined : 07 Jan 2008 Posts : 471 Location : Wiltshire

Dear Chance,

Many things bring me simple joy. The sky, the elements, trees, misty mountains, springs, rivers, fields of golden grain, flowers, fruit - the list goes on, all is sacred. I used to know a druid, one of the wisest and least arrogant people I have known in my life, because of him I have became most interested in the old ways of the druids and in the celebration of the turning of the seasons. I'm at a loss to see where swords fit into all that - my druid friend is no longer around so I can't ask him, perhaps you could explain their significance to your gatherings because to an onlooker they just look threatening.

Here is my contribution, apropos the symbolism of swords:

The Wild Bees
from 'Silence of Amor' by William Sharp (aka Fiona Macleod)

"There was a man seeking Peace, who found a precious treasure in the heather, when the bells were sweet with honey-ooze. Did the wild bees know of it? Would that I could hear the soft hum of of their gauzy wings.
Where blooms that heather, and what wind is it that moveth the bells that are sweet with honey-ooze? Only the wild bees know of it; but I think they must be the bees of Magh-Mell, the bees that make a sweet sound in the drowsy ears of those who beneath the heather have indeed found rest by the dim waysides of Peace."

Subject: Re: Silbury diary Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:34 am