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Re: An open letter to English Heritage
Jan 10, 2013, 19:28
Littlestone wrote:
Using your post ED (slightly edited) how about this on a separate thread entitled Trespassing on Silbury Hill: An open letter to English Heritage.


Dear English Heritage.

Following on from recent reports in the media, contributors to this board and elsewhere have become increasingly alarmed at the damage being caused to Silbury Hill by people ignoring your signs that ask them not to climb the monument. Many of us feel strongly that the signage is both inadequate and strikes the wrong note. We therefore suggest something along the lines of the following: a number of signs placed at sensitive points of (unauthorised) access to the monument, displayed in two or three languages and reading -

We know you might like to climb this ancient monument. We often feel the same. It is a magnificent, beautiful structure and its presence here, even after 4,000 years, is still breath-taking. We are so lucky just to still be able to come to this place to look at this hill and dream. We all do it. The people that love and care for our prehistoric heritage come here from all walks of life and from all parts of this country and the world.

Some, no doubt well meaning, old archaeological investigations, have compromised the integrity of this hill. At one point it was in a very real danger of collapsing. It is still in a very fragile state. Some people, in trying to feel as close a bond as possible, perhaps, to our ancestors and to our past, like to climb the hill. Many do not realise the damage that is done by what amounts to thousands of people walking on the hill over many years. We also know that most of those people would be horrified if they realised the damage they were inadvertently causing to such a precious monument.

We know you might like to climb this hill. We would too. But please don't.

We want it to still be here in another 4,000 years for others to marvel at as you do, and when you leave this place today we would like you to feel you have played your part in its survival.

Thank you and please enjoy your time here.



Can work in other suggestions, up until midday tomorrow, then I'm out of circulation for a bit. Would also suggest that the new thread is closed/locked in order to avoid one of those long, Silbury threads (if that’s OK with the eds and everyone else that is :-)


Someone not to be mentioned (not me) visited the site with EH on Sunday morning, having brought the problem to their attention. The grownups are gonna discuss it when we've all gone to bed, but if we're good we can stay up late tomorrow night and have an arrowroot biscuit. You being out of circulation, I would commit to saving it for your return, but I would only be fibbing because I'm likely to eat it!
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