Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
MEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter MEGALITH
Newsletter JULY 2016
JULY
2016
Thank you to those peoplewho have contributed to the 2016 edition of Megalith:
Rachel BrayBen Cooke Brian EdwardsSarah SimmondsNick SnashallKatherine SnellJess TrethowanLouise Tunnard
CONTACT USStonehenge and Avebury WHS Coordination UnitWiltshire and Swindon History CentreCocklebury RoadChippenhamWILTSHIRESN15 3QN
01225 718 470
Sarah Simmonds Avebury WHS [email protected] 900324
www.stonehengeandaveburywhs.org
@StoneAveWHS
Compiled by Beth Thomas
Designed by Michael Goddard [email protected]
Published by Stonehenge and Avebury WHS Coordination Unit 2016
Supported by Historic England and Wiltshire CouncilIn
side
Wes
t Ken
net L
ong
Barro
w ©
Mik
e G
odda
rd
Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterMEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter JU
LY 20
16
JULY
2016
2
Welcome to the fifth edition of Megalith, the annualnewsletter for the Stonehenge and Avebury WorldHeritage Site. It aims to give you an update on thework that has taken place over the past year andlooks forward to the coming year’s activities.
The World Heritage Site (WHS) is managed by a range of partners from all sectors including charities such as the National Trust, English Heritageand the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and national agencies and government departments suchas Natural England, Historic England and the MoD.This also includes the local community with townand parish councils, amenity groups and WiltshireCouncil also involved in many activities that contribute to its management and protection.
To find out more about how the WHS is managedplease take a look at our website
www.stonehengeandaveburywhs.org
or follow us on Twitter @StoneAveWHS
Beth Thomas Stonehenge WHSCoordinator
We hope that you enjoy this edition of Megalith.Please contact us if you wantto find out more.
Sarah Simmonds Avebury WHSCoordinator
3
Silbury Hill © Mike Goddard
Photo © Beth Thomas Photo © Beth Thomas
Photo © Historic England
Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterMEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterJU
LY 20
16
JULY
2016
Stonehenge Visitor Centre © Historic England
4 55
In November 1986 at the 10th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Parisseven UK sites were inscribed on theWorld Heritage List. Stonehenge, Aveburyand Associated Sites and six other sites:
The Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast; Durham Castle and Cathedral; IronbridgeGorge; Studley Royal Park including the ruinsof Fountain’s Abbey; The Castles and TownWalls of King Edward in Gwynedd and St Kilda; were the first in the UK to receivethis honour.
The World Heritage Committee papersfrom 1986 indicate that there were 36 siteson the UK tentative list at that time. The 1972 UNESCO World HeritageConvention was not signed by the UK until1984 and this may account for the longtentative list, a back log perhaps of UK Sitesto be considered. Many of the Sites on theoriginal list have since gone on to beinscribed including the cities of Bath (1987)and Edinburgh (1995), Neolithic Orkney(1999), Hadrian’s Wall (1987) and NewLanark (2001).
Since the first Management Plans in1998/2000 the Stonehenge and AveburyWorld Heritage Site has had the benefit of a strong partnership of organisations, bothnational and local, who manage the WHSthrough the local steering groups.
In the past 30 years there have been sometremendous successes.
• Around 750 ha of agricultural land inWHS have been reverted to pasture with a great deal of support from Defra/NaturalEngland. Not only does this help to protectfragile archaeological remains from theplough but it also has the benefit ofenhancing biodiversity.
• A huge amount of archaeological researchhas revealed more about the landscapes ofthe WHS and expanded our knowledge andunderstanding of the Site.
• Silbury Hill was stabilised and conservedin 2007, making good the work undertakenby antiquarians in the 18th and 19thcenturies and archaeologists of the mid 20thcentury alike.
• In 2012 the Site was able to fulfil the UKGovernment’s commitment made at thetime of inscription to close the A344 whichran close to the Stones at Stonehenge andto reunite the monument with its Avenue
• An award-winning Visitor Centre openedat Stonehenge in 2013 providing for the firsttime on site interpretation and both anexhibition and education space for visitorsand schools.
• The governance of the WHS wasstrengthened with the creation of aStonehenge and Avebury WHS PartnershipPanel to address issues effecting both partsof the WHS in the same year.
• In May 2015, the first joint Stonehengeand Avebury WHS Management Plan wasproduced by the Coordination Unit.
These and many otherimprovements have beenachieved through commitment to partnership working acrossthe World Heritage Site whichhas helped to overcome thecomplex management challengesthat come with multipleownership and multi-agencyenvironment.
A lot of progress has been made over the last 30 years, a blink of the eye for a landscape shaped over morethan 5,000 years!
30th Anniversary of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site
Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterMEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterJU
LY 20
16
JULY
2016
76
To find out more aboutWorld Heritage Convention and the more than 1000 World Heritage Sites across the world please look at the UNESCO World Heritage website
http://whc.unesco.org/en/
Here’s to the next 30 years!
Stonehenge and Avebury along with theother six sites are celebrating the 30-yearmilestone with events taking place aroundthe country. Here in Wiltshire you cancelebrate the 30th anniversary by taking upthe National Trust’s World Heritage WalkingChallenge(http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/avebury/features/stonehenge-and-avebury-walking-challenge), signing up for a number of talks atthe Wiltshire Museum with a Stonehengeand Avebury theme or joining in with EnglishHeritage’s events at the Visitor Centre atStonehenge.
Find out about our celebratory Stonehengeand Avebury World Heritage conference inNovember elsewhere in Megalith.
You can see the original nominationdocument on our website athttp://www.stonehengeandaveburywhs.org/downloads/nomination-document-2/
To find out more about World Heritage Sitesin the UK and work across the UK go toWorld Heritage UK’s website at
https://worldheritageuk.org/
Photo © Mike Goddard Photo © Mike Goddard
Photo © Chris Newton
Photo © National Trust/Clare Green
Above: Wilsford by Peter Lorimer © English Heritage
Phot
o ©
Mik
e Ro
bins
on
Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterMEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterJU
LY 20
16
JULY
2016
8 9
1986
244 Sites on the World Heritage List in total178 Cultural Sites56 Natural Sites10 Mixed cultural and natural sites
29 Sites inscribed onto the List7 Sites from the UK16 Sites from Europe2 Sites from the Middle East4 Sites from India4 Sites from Africa1 Site from Australia2 Sites from America23 Cultural Sites5 Natural Sites1 Mixed cultural and natural Site
2016
1031 Sites on the World Heritage List in total802 – Cultural Sites197 – Natural Sites32 – Mixed cultural and natural Sites
Top 3 Countries (based on number of World Heritage Sites)51 World Heritage Sites in Italy48 World Heritage Sites in China44 World Heritage Sites in Spain
You can find out lots of statistics about WorldHeritage from the UNESCO World Heritagewebsite: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/stat
World Heritage at Risk
At the same time as the first 7 UK Sites, a further 22 cultural and natural sites fromAustralia to Zimbabwe were inscribed onto the World Heritage List.
Three of these sites are now on theUNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger.The Ancient City of Aleppo in Syria and theOld City of Sana’a in Yemen have both beenseriously damaged by conflict.
The recent events in Syria and Iraq with thedestruction of ancient sites by Daesh or ISISremind us of the fragility of our heritage andhow easily it can be lost. The partialdestruction of Sites such as Palmyra andAleppo not only represents a loss ofarchaeological remains but also of thecultural identity and history of the peoplewho live in this part of the world. Our heritage is fragile and although thankfullywe are not at threat from the effects ofconflict we do have other challenges toaddress.
The World Heritage Site Coordination Unitworks with its partners to protectStonehenge and Avebury from threats suchas ploughing in areas where there is sensitiveburied archaeology, burrowing animals anddevelopment pressure.
World Heritage innumbers
The Ancient City of Aleppo, Syria
The Old City of Sana'a, Yemen
10 11
The main celebration of our 30thanniversary will be a conference in Devizeson 19th November this year. We have a wide range of speakers reflecting both theimportance of Stonehenge and Avebury in its British and European context but alsolooking at the changes we have seen overthe past 30 years including the gains inbiodiversity and the improvement of thesetting of the hundreds of monuments whichmake up the World Heritage Site. We will look at the great strides in ourunderstanding of the World Heritage Sitethrough research carried out since itsinscription and a panel of eminentarchaeologists will look to the future topredict what gains in knowledge we mightmake in the next 30 years.
On Sunday 20th November there will bethe opportunity to take part in speciallyguided visits to the museums holding findsfrom the World Heritage Site and relatedobjects in Avebury, Devizes and Salisbury.
Confirmed speakers include:
Prof. Vincent Gaffney, University of Bradford(Hidden Landscapes Project)
Dr Alison Sheridan, National Museums of Scotland
Dr Serge Cassen, University of Nantes
Julian Richards, Archaeologist andbroadcaster
Dr Josh Pollard, University of Southampton(Between the Monuments Project)
Dr Amanda Chadburn, Historic England
Dr Nick Snashall, National Trust
Dr Ros Cleal, National Trust
To find further details on the programmeand how to book please see
www.stonehengeandaveburywhs.org
The WHS Coordination Unit has produced a new informationleaflet to help explain what aWorld Heritage Site is and whatmakes Stonehenge and Aveburyso special.
The leaflet also helps to explainhow the Site is managed andprovides information on currentpriorities for its protection andimprovement.
It can be downloaded athttp://www.stonehengeandaveburywhs.org/new-leaflet/
30th Anniversary Conference19th November 2016
New World Heritage Site Information Leaflet
Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterMEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterJU
LY 20
16
JULY
2016
Photo © Mike Goddard
Information leaflet © Mike Goddard
When it comes to the ancient and preciousgem that is the Stonehenge Landscape itseems the harder we look the more we find.Over the course of the last five years a teamof archaeologists from across Europe led byProfessor Vince Gaffney of BradfordUniversity have been carrying out a vastgeophysical survey covering almost everyblade of grass that the National Trust carefor in the Stonehenge Landscape (about2100 acres). They’ve made dozens of newdiscoveries, some of them entirely unknownsites. But possibly the most astonishingthey’ve found is that something – in factpossibly as many as two hundred somethings– lie buried beneath the bank of DurringtonWalls henge.
Their surveys have revealed an arc of largesolid objects some as much as two or threemetres long. But what are they? Vince and hisHidden Landscapes team think they’re theremains of standing stones. If they are theywould be the remains of a stone monumentso vast that it would only be rivalled by thegreat Outer Circle at Avebury. On the otherhand Professor Mike Parker Pearson and hismulti-university Stonehenge Riverside Projectthink that they may be pits dug to containgiant timber posts but then backfilled.
There’s only one way to find out - and that’sto dig! So the Hidden Landscapes team, theStonehenge Riverside Project and theNational Trust have joined forces to createan archaeological ‘superteam’.
In the first two weeks of August this summer we will be excavating the‘Superhenge’ to discover what the fourthousand five hundred year old secret is that lies buried at Durrington Walls.
You can get daily updates from the trencheswhen we’re digging on our FragmeNTs bloghttp://ntarchaeostonehengeaveburywhs.wordpress.com/blog/ or follow our progress onthe @DrNickNT Twitter feed. Better stillcome and take a look for yourself. Our crack team of volunteer guides will bedown on the dig site ready to share all of our latest discoveries with you.
You’ll find Durrington Walls just off of theA345 about half a mile north of theCountess Roundabout – just follow the signs for Woodhenge. See you there!
StonehengeCommunity Loan Box
The Stonehenge Community Loan Box waslaunched in June 2015 with the aim ofengaging visitors who may not normally beable to visit Stonehenge. Over the last yearwe have had a variety of groups use thebox from day centres and Mind UK, to a poetry and a veterans group.
The loan box sessions can either be led by your group leaders or a volunteer cancome from Stonehenge during yournormal meeting time (depending onavailability).
Club Friday group organisers said the loan box ‘gives you a feeling of the age and amazing skills of people in thosehard days’.
To find out more about borrowing theCommunity Loan Box please visit ourwebsite:
www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/families/
MEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter
MEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter JU
LY 20
16
JULY
2016
12 13
Durrington Walls: Unearthing the Secrets ofStonehenge’s ‘Superhenge’
The Stonehenge CommunityLoan Box is filled with 16interesting objects offeringhandlers the opportunity to gleaninformation about the mysteriesof Stonehenge and itsbuilders. The Box also containsobject cards, a guidebook, a talkon CD, A3 contextual images anda presentation.
Stonehenge Community Loan Box
Durrington Anomalies © Ludwig Boltzmann Institute
All Photos on this page © English Heritage/R Bray
Curators and conservators have been busy at the Stonehenge Visitor Centrereplacing artefacts on display in one of thecases – swapping items from one BronzeAge barrow (Wilsford G7) with items fromanother, Wilsford G8.These objects weremade by highly skilled craftspeopleexperimenting with innovative techniques.The amber earrings are the earliest itemsfound in Britain to show signs of beingworked with a lathe. The miniature amberand gold pendant in theform of an axe isinterpreted as a symbolof power and prestige.Axes were also carvedon the stones ofStonehenge, showing a direct link betweenthese important peopleand the monumentitself.
Gold, amber and shalemay have been thoughtto have magicalproperties by earlyBronze Age people.
14 15
MEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter
MEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter JU
LY 20
16
JULY
2016
Nearly 4,000 years ago, a woman was buriedin one of the barrows that cluster on everysurrounding ridge around Stonehenge, suchas those found on Normanton Down. Placedalongside her were pendants and beads ofamber, jet, shale, gold and fossils. These itemsare now on display at Stonehenge and helpvisitors to understand the importance ofStonehenge throughout the early BronzeAge. These objects are kindly on loan toStonehenge from Wiltshire Museum - whereover half of the Early Bronze Age gold everdiscovered in Britain is on display!
The burials in these cemeteries of roundbarrows between 2,400 and 1,600BC wereaccompanied by rich grave goods. They areknown to archaeologists today as ‘WessexCulture’ burials.
New displays from the Wiltshire Museum at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre
Jo Hutchings of Wiltshire Museum says, “My favourite itemis the miniature cup. The story goes that an ‘enthusiasticantiquary present at the opening of the barrow fancied hecould see in this cup a design taken from the outwardcircle of Stonehenge’. Centuries later, children visiting theWiltshire Museum galleries say the same thing!”
All photos on this spread © English Heritage/Sam Frost
Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterJULY
2016
JULY
2016
16
Fyfield Down National NatureReserve (NNR) lies in the easternpart of the Avebury half of theWorld Heritage Site. The area is anNNR for is geological importance.You can still find naturally occurringsarsen stones used in theconstruction of many of themonuments lying on the groundwhere they were formed. In addition the NNR contains largeareas of Bronze Age field systems.
October 2015 saw the establishment of a small but dedicated band of volunteerswho meet on most Wednesdays to assistNatural England with managing theNational Nature Reserve. The group hashelped with clearing hawthorn scrub fromflower rich grassland on the valley sides,removing dense gorse from around sarsenstones and carrying out the initial work torestore an overgrown pond in TotterdownWood.
Fyfield Down National Nature Reserve update
Lord Eric Avebury was enormously proud to be the grandson of the first Lord Avebury,who introduced the Ancient MonumentsProtection Act (1882). Lord Eric Aveburysuccessfully appealed as hereditary owneragainst Silbury Hill being designated ‘openaccess’ under the Countryside and Rights ofWay Act (2000), which would have led tovulnerable archaeology being lost to erosionfrom constant visitor footfall.
He strongly supported the idea that: “there must be a partnership between the guardians of all the great monuments in the World Heritage Site, the people who live in and around the WHS, and thepublic at large. ” We are the “trustees of an ancient domain”, caring for the “silentwitnesses of prehistory”.
Lord Avebury and his support of the World Heritage Site will be very much missed.
Eric Reginald Lubbock, fourth Baron Avebury,29 September 1928 – 14 February 2016
One of the more noticeablechanges on the reserve which took place over thewinter months involved workby local contractors to clearpatches of gorse in order toexpose sarsen stones and linkgrassland clearings. This workwill enable grazing cattle tomove more freely, increaseshelter for insects andencourage young growth
which is more suitable for breeding birdsthan old leggy bushes.
This spring we hope to install a number ofnew interpretation panels designed to informvisitors about the rich history, archaeology,geology and wildlife. Later in the autumnNatural England will be working with thelandowner to restore the sight of swathes ofcolourful wildflowers to areas of the ancientgrassland from which they have been lost.
if you have any questions about thereserve management or would liketo get involved as a volunteer pleasecontact the Reserve Manager Ben Cookeon 07776 227068.
17Lord Avebury at Silbury Hill © Victoria Lubbock
Tree removal at Totterdown Wood pond © Natural England
Yellowhammer © Natural England
MEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterJU
LY 20
16
JULY
2016
18 19
If you’re out and about in and around theWorld Heritage Site (WHS) over the nextfew months you might spot some unusualactivity, or a piece of strange-lookingequipment.
The chances are you’ll have stumbled acrosssome of the survey work Highways England’sengineers are carrying out as part of theplanning process to improve the A303between Amesbury and Berwick Down.Regular readers of Megalith may rememberour story last July about the Government’sannouncement to fully dual the length of theA303 to improve journey times and boostthe UK economy by creating an expresswayto the south west.
Highways England is examining all possibleroutes, some of which have been consideredin the past, to get to the best solution. By gathering detailed information about theenvironment, archaeology and groundconditions across a wide area, engineers canfully assess all the options before consultingthe public about them.
Whichever option is chosen the aim is toreconnect Stonehenge and its surroundingmonuments with their setting in a restorednatural chalk landscape. This matches theWHS’ strategy of protecting and enhancingits Outstanding Universal Value.
For more information visit the Highways England website, where there is more information, at:
www.highways.gov.uk/roads/road-projects/a303-amesbury-to-berwick-down/
Surveying solutions for the A303
Standing traffic on the A303 © Historic England
MEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter
Traffic on the A303 near Stonehenge © Beth Thomas
Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterM
nge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterJULY
2016
JULY
2016
Update from The Salisbury Museum
Celebrating 30 years of World Heritage in 30 Objects
It is not always immediately obvious, that the daily life of a museum is so much more than displaying objects. The SalisburyMuseum often finds itself at the very heart of new discoveries and fascinating research. The recent discovery of the Deverill Villa is no exception. Working with HistoricEngland Archaeologist, Dr David Roberts, the museum helped confirm evidence of agrand villa, built sometime between 175 ADand 220 AD, on a site that had remaineduntouched since its collapse 1400 years ago.This culminated in a small exhibition in theWessex Gallery showcase where visitorscould see firsthand, a tempting selection of finds, including tesserae and oyster shells,which spoke of an opulent lifestyle.
A touring exhibition from the BritishMuseum, which opened on 21 May 2016,‘Writing for Eternity: Decoding Ancient Egypt’ tells the story of 4,000 years of theevolution of writing in Egypt, through anarray of stunning objects and hands-onactivities.
The Festival of Archaeology 2016 will takeplace over the weekend of 23/24 July, whenarchaeologist Dr Phil Harding will lead anexcavation in the museum grounds. The dig will reveal how archaeologists planand execute their work. With a showgroundof living history and diverse programme oftalks, there is something for fans ofarchaeology of all ages.
In the spirit of The British Museum’s A History of the World in 100 Objectsproject we thought we would explore theStonehenge and Avebury WHS through a “virtual exhibition” of 30 objects.
Each object will tell a story about a keymoment in the history of the WHS or thedevelopment of our understanding of it. It will also reflect attributes of OutstandingUniversal Value such as for example therelationship of monuments to the landscapeor astronomy or their influence on artistsand architects. The object might also revealother values related to the WHS or how it is understood today in popular culture orfrom a spiritual perspective.
The World Heritage Site Coordination Unithas been talking to local museum curators,archaeologists and historians for ideas.
We want to know how local residents andvisitors connect to Stonehenge and AveburyWHS. Maybe you have a favourite souvenirfrom your visit? Or a postcard from a friend?
Submit your nomination for the 30th objectthrough our Twitter account@StoneAveWHS using the hashtag#megalith30.
Keep an eye on our social media sites for thewinning object, which will be revealed at the30th Anniversary Conference in November.
20 21
Phil Harding at The Salisbury Museum
Statue of a seated scribe (EA2308)
Phot
o ©
The
Trus
tees
of t
he B
ritish
Mus
eum
Spinal Tap shaped album © English Heritage
Phot
o ©
The
Sal
isbur
y M
useu
m
The Stonehenge and Avebury WHSManagement Plan 2015 includes a policy which aims to use artists and the creative sector to find “new andinspiring ways for communities and a wider range of visitors to engage with and learn about the Outstanding Universal Value of the WHS”.
To explore how we could take this policyforward the WHS Coordination Unit and the Arts Team of Wiltshire Council held anArts Symposium in November 2015. Around 50 people gathered at the Town Hall in Devizes to help shape future strategyand ideas.
The delegates consisted of representatives of organisations helping to manage theWorld Heritage Site, and a wide range ofpeople involved in arts as practitioners,producers and venues in Wiltshire andbeyond.
Sacrilege, Jeremy Deller © Glasgow International Festival of Contemporary Art
MEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site Newsletter
MEGALITHStonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site NewsletterJU
LY20
16
JULY
2016
There were presentations from the WHS Coordination Unit, English Heritage,the National Trust and The Salisbury Museum with an opportunity for thedelegates to talk about what is needed toenable artists to work positively with theWHS managerto continue creatinginspirational work whilst at the same timeprotecting fragile archaeological remains.
Further work and discussion is needed and a framework to help managers and artistswork together is in development.
For further updates please contact the Stonehenge and Avebury WHS Coordination unit or follow us on Twitter.
Stonehenge during a storm, JMW Turner © The Salisbury Museum
The Stonehenge and Avebury WHS Arts Symposium
One of the reasons forStonehenge and Avebury beinginscribed on the WorldHeritage List is the Sites’influence on architects, artists,historians and others.
22 23
