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Friday 10 May 2019

Myth or Mythlead - Blick Mead and other archaeology

I've said in other posts that there are certainly those who would like to "derail the project" to fix the A303 past Stonehenge and we read a lot on-line and on other web sites from those who spout about the seriousness of unearthing or disturbing undisturbed archaeology and yes, we should be concerned about this.....but! we need to get the detail into perspective!
On the written representations on Deadline 2 of the Infrastructure Planning Inspectorate process, relating to the A303 Amesbury to Berwick Down (Stonehenge ) Scheme, a significant number relate to Blick Mead, and what is being described as the disastrous consequences of going ahead with the Scheme citing effects on the water table, permanent damage to what is described as, e.g. 'the most important Mesolithic site in the country' etc.  This clutch of representations appear to emanate from a body of archaeologists who collectively call themselves the Consortium of Stonehenge Experts, and also seem to have attracted to themselves other individuals purporting to be 'experts'.  Quite why this motley crew believe themselves to be the definitive authority on Blick Mead, (as well as other aspects relating to the Stonehenge World Heritage Site is open to conjecture) yet they present themselves as such; however the subliminal message they are presenting is that nothing should be done, i.e. abandon the Scheme. 
However, as the phrase “all that glisters is not gold” suggests, one can easily be misled, so it is with a degree of relief that a real gem sits among the written representations, that being the veritable epistle from Mike Pitts FSA.   This is an astoundingly good, reasoned and erudite 14 pager and Mike speaks a lot of sense with regard to the truth about Blick Mead, putting everything into perspective and cutting through the hyperbole.
You are encouraged to read it, and draw your own conclusions.....it can be found here by putting Mike Pitts into the search bar:
https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-west/a303-stonehenge/?ipcsection=docs   and a link to Mike's web site:

https://mikepitts.wordpress.com/2017/04/08/what-did-the-world-heritage-site-mean-to-people-who-built-stonehenge-nothing/

Here are some of my own facts for the naysayers: 
Firstly: The tunnel - IS NOT GOING UNDER THE MONUMENT! as has been suggested by certain anti doing anything groups!
Secondly: The Tunnel will be some 400 meters south of the monument and the roof of the tunnel will be some 22 meters from ground surface - that's the height of two normal sized 2 story houses built on top of one another
Thirdly:  Yes during construction, there will very likely be some disturbance to archaeology at the portals east and west but the tunnel will be 50 meters underground....and not as the scaremongers at http://stonehengealliance.org.uk/ would like us to believe.   As I have said many times - I'm not aware that we have ever buried our dead that deep!!!









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