CW60 p24 - Ancient Sites:Layout 1 2/10/08 11:08 Page 25
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are fast becoming the great disenfranchised and it is generate revenue to other groups such as the One
not acceptable. Did you vote for any of SWRA’s National Trust and the Cornwall Heritage Trust, only
members? Indeed, who are they? Were you even retaining management of those sites which attract
medieval, and
asked for a regional assembly covering the ‘South entrance fees, complete with souvenir shops. Its
unscheduled,
West’? No. Yet even North East England was treatment of our ancient monuments has been
granted a referendum on that very same subject – abysmal, pouring masses of ugly concrete around
stone cross
and rejected it. Where is our referendum? Should not the upper edges of the round chamber in the Carn
our local politicians be saying to SWRA: you are Euny fogou and even filling in the remains of the
vanished from
entirely unelected: we do not accept your authority? Chysauster fogou (after publicly denying they would
near St
Under the direct control of the old Minstry of do any such thing). I took this up personally with
Works and Department of the Environment, our built ‘English’ Heritage’s then chairman, Lord Montagu of
Breward on
heritage was relatively well-tended (with a few sad Beaulieu whose words will live with me forever: “It’s
exceptions). Then, in 1984 Orwell’s predictions not as if it’s Stonehenge, is it?” Bodmin Moor
began to take form. The responsibility for our historic In 1992, ‘English’ Heritage assured me that a
built heritage was handed over to a new quango with thorough review of scheduled monuments (ie. those
and only
the grand name of the Historic Buildings and to be protected by law) would be complete within 5
came to light
Monuments Commission. Within a short time, this years. In 2008, I am still waiting and so are important
had changed its name to ‘English’ Heritage which sites and monuments that remain completely
when I came
now markets our Celtic Cornish heritage as that of a unprotected. During that period some have
totally unconnected people who were not even in disappeared. One medieval, and unscheduled, stone
across it in a
Britain when much of that heritage was built. In cross vanished from near St Breward on Bodmin
garden in the
recent years, it has hived off those sites that don’t Moor and only came to light when I came across it in
Cot Valley
near St Just
Cornish archaeologist
Craig Weatherhill, with
his horse Paddy, inspect
the site at Tregaseal. The
site is one of many
sacred Cornish
landmarks at risk under
new proposals.
Picture by Jan Beare.
pymp warn ugens 25
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