Head To Head
Log In
Register
The Modern Antiquarian Forum »
Avebury »
Developments at Avebury
Log In to post a reply

356 messages
Topic View: Flat | Threaded
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat
6195 posts

Re: Developments at Avebury
Feb 17, 2011, 20:12
nigelswift wrote:
A small confession though, I must have something missing as I don't at all mind paying to get in to places and have no urge to claim I have some ancient right to free access. Someone has to pay to upkeep places, why not we visitors? Seems fair. Who else, taxpayers? Why?

Anyhow, since it definitely ain't gonna happen it's not worth bothering about. BUT since the country is skint and these places DO need looking after, why not honesty boxes? Who would be so mean as to think five quid wasn't reasonable for a visit?


I agree with this in principle (although £5 may be a bit steep, unless this is going to become the preserve of the better-off), but sadly the honesty box at the Rollrights didn't really work in the end, and not because of the majority of people who genuinely want to visit but because of the actions of the minority of idiots.

Another option is a "permanent" custodian arrangement (such as at Chysauster in Cornwall), but this means that the site is closed for large amounts of the time - at night, out of season, etc.

The other thing worth bearing in mind is that NT and EH should be using (and do) some of the revenue from their more "intact" properties to pay for the upkeep of free to enter sites. I am not an NT member, but I am an EH one. I rarely visit EH's pay sites (although I do use it for CADW castles, etc), but I choose to pay for membership to help with upkeep costs of the sites that EH don't charge for. Obviously, I can't "direct" where my membership goes, but that's the way I think of it.
Topic Outline:

The Modern Antiquarian Forum Index