Illegal climbers are damaging rain-sodden Silbury Hill

3:03pm Monday 7th January 2013 in News By Anna Mauremootoo

So much rain has fallen that Silbury Hill now looks like it is surrounded by a moat So much rain has fallen that Silbury Hill now looks like it is surrounded by a moat

A leading archaeologist has warned that illegal climbers are damaging Silbury Hill.

Heavy rain has led to standing water around the monument and the sodden ground is being eroded by trespassers climbing the hill.

Access to the man-made mound, which dates back to 2400 BC, has been prohibited for a number of decades.

Jim Leary, an archaeologist for English Heritage, said: "I would really ask people not to go up the hill. It is leaving some really rather hideous scars and eroding our beautiful monument.

"They are going up and it is very wet and they are eroding the side of the hill."

The hill is almost completely cut off by a moat with surrounding fields also underwater due to the recent heavy rain.

However, Mr Leary said that as far as the monument was concerned the flood water was nothing to worry about.

He said: "It is not a very common phenomenon but it has happened before in 2007 when it was very wet, and also in 2000.

"The mound has been there for 4,500 years and I'm sure it will continue to stand despite the weather."

Comments(10)

beetawix says...
1:16am Wed 9 Jan 13

What is the point of a hill if you are not allowed to go up it?

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FromTheWirral says...
9:22am Wed 9 Jan 13

I thought it was more a 'monument' than a hill, albeit one that is unfortunately named.

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Don Jones says...
10:26am Wed 9 Jan 13

beetawix wrote:
What is the point of a hill if you are not allowed to go up it?
Well, neither God nor nature stuck this one here. It's more of a big neolithic sandcastle than a hill.

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beetawix says...
11:14pm Wed 9 Jan 13

A leading archaeologist has warned that illegal climbers are damaging Silbury Hill.


His warning is too late if the damaging is in progress at the time of the warning.

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HughBriss says...
9:38pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Perhaps climbers should be encouraged to carry a bag of earth up to the top (and leave it there, obviously). Then we could make it into a new people's monument.
OK, seriously, it is Europe's biggest man-made mound or something so maybe it should be protected.
When I walked past it last summer, I noticed somebody climbing it (on the side away from the road) so I rang 112 to tell the police what was happening. They had no idea what or where Silbury Hill is, nor what a protected monument is, in short, they couldn't give a toss. So I go back to my original suggestion, let's make it a public monument!

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beetawix says...
2:36pm Fri 11 Jan 13

I like the bag of earth idea.

Maybe we should plant a tree at the top.
Perhaps the tree roots would serve to prevent waterlogging.
This could create new interest as Silbury Hill and Tree.
However there maybe those that wish to climb both the hill and tree so nursing the tree to maturity might be more difficult than keeping scoundrels off of the hill.

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Daedalus says...
10:38pm Fri 11 Jan 13

Frankly, Silbury Hill was much more 'interactive' and enjoyable when you were allowed to climb up.

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Mrs Donnyfly says...
2:12am Sat 12 Jan 13

Let's face it, as it is Silbury Hill is pointless, so I suggest it's turned into a pleasure park. There could be a cable car to the top - no need to climb - and slides or chutes of varying degree of speed to get to the bottom, from novice to death-defying. With an ice cream van at the bottom there is everything for both families and the thrill seeker - a surefire winner.

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beetawix says...
10:08am Sat 12 Jan 13

Mrs D's suggestion of a theme park if successful would put strain on the car park which might need expanding. Maybe a chain of Silbury Hills could be built.
If none of this works we should move all the hills to Salisbury Plain (the travelling Silburys) to create a puzzler for future generations.

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shed says...
12:21pm Sun 13 Jan 13

if it was levelled out to fill up the bit were the water is, then they could get rid of that nasty bend.

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