Saturday 29 December 2012

Give Sighthill’s Stonehenge a sporting chance say campaigner


The Sighthill Stone Circle – hailed as a mini Stonehenge – was completed in 1979 and is the first of its kind in the UK for 3,000 years.

Sighthill Elspet Gibson and Thurston Cherry came to celebrate
 the winter Solstice at the Stone circle, they broght a candle 
torch 21st December 2012 pic: Roberto Cavieres
But Glasgow City Council want to transform Sighthill into an athletes village if it wins its bid to host the Youth Olympic Games in 2018.
The £250million regeneration will go ahead regardless of whether the city wins the games bid.
That means the astronomically-aligned stone circle in Sighthill Park is under threat.
A petition has so far attracted 500 signatures – with backing from well-known faces including writer and artist Alasdair Gray andGlasgow musician Stuart Braithwaite, founder of Mogwai.

Duncan Lunan, who created the Sighthill Stone Circle, said: “My wife Linda and I were asked to a meeting with the council and were told to our complete shock that the ‘circle is going and there’s nothing you can say to change it’.

“There’s definitely a lot of people that don’t want it to go. So many people in signing the petition have gone on to say why they go there.

“We’re not saying there shouldn’t be development in the area, but the stone circle is the first of its kind for 3,000 years. The plans could be easily modified.”

The Sighthill circle was designed by Duncan and erected by the Glasgow Parks Department Astronomy Project between 1978-79. It’s dedicated to four prominent experts in the field of ancient astronomy, all with close connections to Glasgow.

Following the change of Government in 1979 the circle was never completed, and it has never become the local and visitor attraction which was intended. Four unused stones lie there to this day.
Duncan added: “As well as signing the petition, we would ask people to write to the council and tell them why they support it.”
Duncan organised a mid-winter solstice at the stone circle last Friday.
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “The 2018 Youth Olympic Games bid is a very exciting opportunity for the city.
“The redevelopment of Sighthill is a key component of our bid. Even if we do not win the bid, Sighthill will be transformed 20 years earlier than it would otherwise have been.

“At this stage of the development of the proposal, it is too early to comment on what will be done with the standing stones at Sighthill Park in terms of their location or incorporation into the masterplan for the area.”

Sighthill History

The circle was built in 1979 and it is dedicated to four outstanding researchers in the field of ancient astronomy: the late Professor Alexander Thom and Dr. Archie Thom, Prof. Archie Roy and Dr. Euan MacKie, all of whom are closely connected to the city of Glasgow. For more details please see the Brief History section

If you want to sign the petition, visit www.sighthillstonecircle.net
News Source: http://www.kirkintilloch-herald.co.uk

Stonehenge Tour Guide

Friday 21 December 2012

Celebrating the winter solstice at Stonehenge - picture of the day


A photographic highlight selected by the picture desk. Revellers celebrate the pagan festival of winter solstice at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, UK
Ben Stanshall/AFP/Getty Images
Revellers celebrate the pagan festival of winter solstice at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, UK. And this year the photographers among them are rewarded by a clear view of the sun in a cloudless sky

Stonehenge Tour Guide

Saturday 8 December 2012

New External Gallery at Stonehenge. Neolithic Houses Project

One of the most exciting features of the new visitor centre will be an external gallery which will include three reconstructed Neolithic houses. Using archaeological evidence and authentic materials, these buildings will provide a real and tangible link for visitors to the distant past. People will be able to walk into these houses and see how people may have lived 4,500 years ago.
Graphic of reconstructed Neolithic houses at Stonehenge
During excavations at Durrington Walls in 2006-7, something quite extraordinary was discovered – prehistoric houses dating to 4500 years ago. Recent radiocarbon dating has shown these houses were inhabited in around 2,500 BC; exactly the time sarsen stones were being erected nearby at Stonehenge.
The closeness of the dates raises the distinct possibility that the people who occupied the seasonal settlement at Durrington were involved in the construction of the sarsen stone settings and in celebrations at Stonehenge.
Using traditional and locally sourced building materials and following the archaeological findings from Durrington Walls, we plan to recreate three Neolithic houses.
We will attempt to answer questions such as:
  • What did the roof look like?
  • What is the best ‘recipe’ for making a hard chalk floor?
  • What was it like to be inside these houses?
This is an experimental archaeology project.

Neolithic House Builders (Phase 1)
 

A reconstruction of a Neolithic house
Be part of an archaeological experiment and help us present the story of the Stonehenge World Heritage Site. Using traditional building methods and locally sourced materials, you will help recreate a Neolithic house based on archaeological findings.

Location

Old Sarum
Castle Road
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP3 6RR

Role Description

Key Tasks

Depending on which stage of the house building project you are part of there will be the following tasks:
  • Stage 1 - Preparing hazel for wattling, making rope withies for securing roof and stakes, gathering materials
  • Stage 2 - Setting out stakes, hazel wattling, preparing chalk cob, cob wall construction
  • Stage 3 - Thatching, laying chalk floor, helping to make furniture and dressing house

Hours and Time Frame

It is planned that the project will run from Tuesday to Saturday during March to May 2013. We are looking for volunteers to commit to at least five days volunteering across the project. Inductions will be held each Tuesday morning and we would require all volunteers to attend an induction session on their first day of volunteering.

Skills and Qualities

  • An interest in working in the historic environment
  • An interest in working outdoors
  • Ability to work as part of a team
  • Ability to undertake physical work for a period of time
  • To be flexible and enthusiastic
  • To communicate effectively with other members of the team

Support and Training

Full training will be provided by English Heritage and it will include:
  • Induction with team leader
  • Training on construction methods and using tools
  • Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment

What English Heritage Expects from Volunteers

Volunteers should:
  • Maintain good working relationships with staff, other volunteers and members of the public
  • Attend appropriate training and learn about the work of English Heritage
  • Be reliable in attendance
  • Observe organisational policy and procedures
  • Protect English Heritage property from theft, damage or loss, within the limit of their responsibilities
  • Safeguard confidential information about English Heritage and refer any controversial matters relating to the work of English Heritage to their manager

Other Information

  • Volunteers may be reimbursed for travel costs between home and volunteering location within agreed limits
  • A volunteer pass allowing free access to English Heritage sites is available after a satisfactory period of 4 months and the completion of 60 hours of service
  • A certificate for your personal profile to demonstrate work carried out for English Heritage to show future employers or further education establishments

How to apply

To register your interest see how to apply.

Link: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/get-involved/volunteering/roles-available/8164923212

Stonehenge Tour Guide