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Silbury Hill trespassers
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VBB
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Re: Silbury Hill trespassers
Jan 09, 2013, 10:15
Sanctuary wrote:
VBB wrote:
Sanctuary wrote:
This makes for a good read…

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/conservation-projects/silbury-hill/

And this is interesting considering our discussion on the original path…a flight of stairs??!!

‘The present pathway up the mound is a useful archaeological indicator, for its position has not changed at all since John Aubrey - often regarded as the founding father of analytical field survey - illustrated it during the 1660s. All features that the path overlies or cuts through must therefore be earlier. One earthwork that the path post-dates is a broad but low bank that rises from the terminal of the western causeway almost to the summit. It is conceivable that this marks the line of a hedge that once subdivided the mound, but it could represent an ancient route to the summit - perhaps even the remains of a flight of stairs’.



That doesn't take account of the fact that the miners cut a path in 1776 in order to get timber to the summit to line the vertical shaft. Remember also that Stukeley describes the tree planters cutting a path in 1723.


It's interesting that all that activity has taken place over the years which must have caused incredible damage at the time yet here we are today discussing a limited amount of people just walking up it. In comparison the hill appears to have never been so well off as it is today! I'm still for the path reinstatement as it is patently obvious that people are always going to climb the hill if determined enough so lets meet them halfway and keep the situation monitored.



It is not a small amount of people, it is a constant regular footfall.
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