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The Modern Antiquarian Forum » Trethevy Quoit in danger |
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Sanctuary 4670 posts |
Edited Mar 02, 2013, 20:12
Mar 02, 2013, 20:10
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VBB wrote: Sanctuary wrote: VBB wrote: nigelswift wrote: I must say,it's hard to think there isn't a danger of the capstone sliding off when you see this picture from 11 years ago http://www.themodernantiquarian.com/site/11/trethevy_quoit.html#images (the last one in the last line but one, posted by phil). I can only presume the EH engineers have calculated that friction will keep it in place. So far as the other movement is concerned, have you been able to replicate any of the early pictures on TMA in order to show a change? A word of caution - a desk based assessment of historic images by people that actually knew the Avebury stones very well suggested the Cove stones might fall, but when they spent a packet on engineering kit and scaffolding and excavated below, the stone giving rise to concern was found to be roughly 7x4.5x1.5m with 3m of it under the ground and estimated at 100 tonnes - one of the largest in Britain and it wasn’t likely going anywhere… I don't know if that is strictly true VBB as leaning massively heavy stones do continue to move albeit very slowly. If it wasn't going to then that further suggests it was always like that...which it wasn't was it? Anyway, that apart, we could have got a couple of spades out and dug down the side of one of the ends without putting the stone at risk at all of falling and told them how deep it was. We could have made a few bob out of that while saving them a few grand as well :-) Mind you it would have taken us an age with the RL just over the road!! LOL! The thought of you and me with buckets and spades Roy, we sat at the table outside the Red Lion and couldn't manage a pint between us! I mentioned the Cove stone in the context of desk based assessments using photographs, my point being that things are not as they may seem particularly if you come it from the restoration angle (no pun intended - honest!). I have to say looking down in that hole and seeing how big that stone actually revealed itself to be was awsome. That was some feat to get that upright. If I were there and it had slipped in I wouldn't be giving a toss what angle it was at as I would be pooped along with everyone else. I'd like to see them drag that bugger along on rollers from the Downs especially as they wouldn't have had such fine specimens of manhood as us to help them :-)
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tiompan 5758 posts |
Mar 02, 2013, 20:51
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Sanctuary wrote: Pic 5 shows why it hasn't slid off and for some reason not mentioned over the years...keying points...and they called themselves researchers! Other than...Trethevy had a HUGE scare in the past and is not now as it is was then prior to that scare. The only mystery left is why all the antiqueries of the past have not sussed it out. Roy , apart from the two blokes going on about the light coming through the hole and various other points , who were these "researchers " and what was there to "suss out " ?
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Mar 02, 2013, 21:19
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Keying points? Do you mean those two nobbles? Are you saying they are deliberately constructed tenons? Or natural ones? And are there mortises?
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Sanctuary 4670 posts |
Mar 02, 2013, 21:41
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tiompan wrote: Sanctuary wrote: Pic 5 shows why it hasn't slid off and for some reason not mentioned over the years...keying points...and they called themselves researchers! Other than...Trethevy had a HUGE scare in the past and is not now as it is was then prior to that scare. The only mystery left is why all the antiqueries of the past have not sussed it out. Roy , apart from the two blokes going on about the light coming through the hole and various other points , who were these "researchers " and what was there to "suss out " ? Researchers was probably the wrong word to use George, but those that have written up on the quoit in the past, who must have researched it as well presumably before passing comment or putting stuff in print. Anyone spending time at the quoit should soon suss out that it was very unlikely to have looked like it is now on first build but they seem to have gone down the same path as others before them and just copied each others work and didn't seem to be prepared to make claims which they couldn't substantiate for fear of being made to look foolish. I on the other hand can say what I like and am prepared to be challenged once my Tome is out. But I can promise you that I believe I have made a good fist of it and won't be ridiculed through lack of careful consideration. If I'm wrong I'm wrong but people will always have a chance to come up with their own ideas which of course will also be open to question.
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Sanctuary 4670 posts |
Mar 02, 2013, 21:46
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nigelswift wrote: Keying points? Do you mean those two nobbles? Are you saying they are deliberately constructed tenons? Or natural ones? And are there mortises? Wait and see but where do you think the 'lid' would be today if they weren't there and the tops of the sloping sidestones smooth?
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Mar 02, 2013, 22:06
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Well I'm not sure nobbles would lend more or less resistance to slippage unless they were fitted into mortises, when they'd clearly provide more. But that would be a big claim, the only mortise and tenons other than SH.
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Sanctuary 4670 posts |
Mar 02, 2013, 22:13
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nigelswift wrote: Well I'm not sure nobbles would lend more or less resistance to slippage unless they were fitted into mortises, when they'd clearly provide more. But that would be a big claim, the only mortise and tenons other than SH. It would be a big claim and a foolish one considering it isn't possible to see a man-made mortise in such a small space.
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Mar 02, 2013, 22:18
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You need one of those medical pokey camera thingies. ;) But what about the "tenons", they wouldn't be man made surely?
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Sanctuary 4670 posts |
Mar 02, 2013, 22:27
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nigelswift wrote: You need one of those medical pokey camera thingies. ;) But what about the "tenons", they wouldn't be man made surely? You'll see. There is plenty of things not been noticed before because they haven't been looked for because it was considered a 'done and dusted' site. Once you suss it out it's surprising what you find and where things should really be instead of where they are now. Seek and you will find :-)
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nigelswift 8112 posts |
Mar 02, 2013, 22:34
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OK, I get the message! But going back to the stability issue, if you're concerned that the EH engineer needs to reconsider maybe your best bet is to get a friendly structural engineer to contact him?
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