Andy Burnham's Blog, page 96

Holyhead Mountain

Volunteers restore the hut circles as part of works by the Holy Island Landscape Partnership. The remains of approximately 50 farmstead buildings, comprising some round houses which would have had timber roof struts with turf or thatch over them, partly subterranean storage sheds, cattle shelters and work shops. The site covered between 6 and 8 hectares and was in use from between 500 BC until post Roman times.

Ffynnon y Wrach

This well house was recently covered in scaffolding and has now been fully restored as part of wider conservation work on Holy Island. This beautiful building was built in 1866 when the well was used as a municipal water supply. But it has history going further back - George Borrow - when on his travels round Cymru was told it was the best water in Wales. It has been referred to as the Witches Well and as the Fairies Well.

Borough Fen

Constructed in the Middle Iron Age, only the enclosure banks of the ring-fort are visible today. They define a roughly circular area of 3.8 hectares with diameter of 220m.

Colombier Round Tomb

One of three graves discovered in 2013 in the village of Colombier during the demolition of a restaurant to build a service station in Neuenburg. The largest of the three contained the remains of a man over 30 and a bronze pin dating to around 1600 BC. The second burial contained a woman from around 1300 BC with several bronze grave goods. The third was a small cremation grave.

Oldenburger Burgwall

The Oldenburger Burgwall located in the center of Oldenburg in Holstein is one of the most important archaeological monuments in Schleswig-Holstein. The rampart was built towards the end of the 7th century, making it one of the oldest Slavic castle ramparts in Germany.

Cefnen Wen Cairn and Cist

Situated to the west of the summit of Cefnen Wen, this cairn lies a few metres from a second cairn that is closer to the summit. The site can be reached by following the Hiraethog Trail that leads from Pentrefoelas village as it meanders north towards Llyn Alwen. This is a particularly rich environment for prehistoric activity.

Book Review: How to Build Stonehenge by Mike Pitts

Whilst this book has been out for some time, this is such a detailed and fun review from Rob that we couldn't resist. Rob Ixer writes: In the mid 2010s it seemed that there was an annual Stonehenge 'Xmas box' to read but recently it has turned quieter, for, as one author disingenuously has said "what is there new to say". Well, as it turns out, quite a lot. During this wintry writing flurry Mike Pitts was asked repeatedly why he had not penned his own Christmas carol but replied it was too soon and he needed to let the dust settle. What Mike has come up with is a measured, dispassionate, but personal account from an independent, informed, highly literate, observer-player whose reportage-style of writing, especially in the middle chapters, has successfully avoided sounding like a poor channelling of Bernard Cornwell’s novel Stonehenge, but retains rather a customary and engaging, easy reading voice.

Sarikaya Roman Bath

Restoration of this extraordinary Roman bath nears completion, more on our page. The 2nd century CE baths in Yozgat Province, Turkey are all that remain of the Roman town of Aqua Sarvenae which was destroyed by an earthquake.

The Pinnacles

The Pinnacles are natural limestone formations in Nambung National Park, Western Australia. This area was important to the semi nomadic Aboriginal tribes because of water. They would come to this place when the seasonal Nambung River made a chain of waterholes through part of the park.

Kilmovee Ogham Stone

Ogham Stone in Co. Mayo, Standing all alone in a neglected field. There are two different theories as to what is wrote on the stone. The first one comes from a story commonly told by the local people that it reads ”Mac Bric”. It is thought Mac Bric may have been a local chieftain at the time and the stone was erected in his honour, or it may have been a grave headstone.