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Julian Cope presents Head Heritage

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Silbury's structural integrity
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Pilgrim
Pilgrim
597 posts

Edited Sep 01, 2007, 10:53
Update 15: (Warning: this post mentions chalk)
Sep 01, 2007, 10:50
From Update 15:


This material was selected specifically for its inert properties and capabilities to penetrate and consolidate rubble chalk such as the material created by the continuing growth of the Merewether/Atkinson tunnel voids.


So the voids continue to grow, do they? By how much? At what rate? You’ve gone in, having told us that you're doing the best thing for the Hill (at a cost of £600, 000 to the British taxpayer), having given up on the grouting option because – in your opinion –

“there was little support for the idea of remotely filling the voids by grouting.”


Funny that. Who did you ask? And who did you listen to? Oh; hang on….


English Heritage’s Investigations into the Collapse at the Top of the Shaft and the Stability of Silbury Hill Rob Harding, English Heritage, Revised February, 2005


The results of this work were presented to a seminar held at Devizes in September, 2004 attended by invitees from the wider archaeological community and interested local bodies.


So you asked the “wider archaeological community” and “invited local bodies” (presumably invited by you) what should be done, and funnily enough…

At the seminar, a range of views were expressed as to how English Heritage should proceed. Three key points could be drawn from the contributions made. Firstly, there was little support for the idea of remotely filling the voids by grouting. Secondly, there was however considerable support for the idea of reexcavating the tunnels and refilling them and thirdly, if such an intervention was to take place, it should, on this occasion, be accompanied by the highest level of archaeological recording and investigation.


Surprise, surprise – they gave “considerable support” to going back in, and little support to grouting. So everything you have done has not been in the best interests of the Hill, after all. And now – after seven years – we are injecting foaming resin into the rubble and roof in what looks like a race against time to get this job done before any more water arrives:

If this injection work were not being down however, it has been estimated that progress in the tunnel could be less than half of that actually achieved.


So we are using foaming resin in order to meet a deadline, then? Not because it’s in the best interest of the Hill?

Just one more thing from Update 15……

Once the injection work has been completed, the tunnelling work resumes, with the stabilised rubble being solidified and competent to allow the roof and sides of the tunnel to be excavated without the serious risk of collapse and potential injury to the tunnelling personnel.


Tunnelling personnel? What happened to the archaeologists? Isn’t this a conservation project? Is there any internal archaeology going on? Or is it – as I fear - a rescue mission?

Peace

Pilgrim

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Re: Silbury's structural integrity (Littlestone)		 Replies:
Re: Update 15: (Warning: this post mentions chalk) (Littlestone)
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