Latest news with #DrCliffHenry
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Giant's Causeway: Tourists asked not to wedge coins into rocks
Have you ever thrown money for good luck or to make a wish?Well, tourists at one landmark in Northern Ireland are being urged to keep their spare change in their to the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland have been asked not to wedge coins between the famous National Trust, which looks after the site, says the coins left between the basalt columns expand and rust, damaging the rock. What's happened? The Giant's Causeway is one of Northern Ireland's most famous and important landmarks, with hundreds of thousands of people visiting the site each practice of jamming coins into the rocks started many years ago – but the National Trust believes it has increased significantly in the past say that the coins quickly rust and expand, which causes the rock to flake, and it also leaves reddish-brown coloured streaks.A trial to remove coins safely has been successful, and now it is hoped the money - which comes from all over the world – will be removed across the the tidy-up operation is expected to cost more than £30,000 to remove them Cliff Henry, from the National Trust, said the rocks are affected in many explained: "People see others put coins in, so they copycat, they take a coin out of their pocket and they might take a stone off the ground to hammer the coin in."But they might miss and chip the stone itself so that's doing damage."According to the Trust, signs will be put up around the site, and visitors will be warned not to insert the coins by tour guides. What is the Giant's Causeway? Giant's Causeway is located in County Antrim in Northern was formed around 60 million years ago when volcanic eruptions created 40,000 basalt stone the ancient lava cooled, the stones formed into six-sided shaped patterns called hexagons. Legend has it that it was actually an Irish giant called Finn McCool who created the causeway to prove how strong he was to Benandonner, a rival Scottish giant across the Causeway is a Unesco World Heritage Site which means it has cultural, historical and scientific importance.
Sky News
28-05-2025
- General
- Sky News
Giant's Causeway: Coins left by visitors damaging Northern Ireland's World Heritage Site
Visitors to the Giant's Causeway have been urged to stop wedging coins into the gaps between the famous stones as they are damaging the site. Coins squeezed into the gaps in the basalt columns of the tourist attraction in north Antrim eventually rust and expand, putting pressure on the surrounding rock, staining it and causing it to crumble, the National Trust said. Scores of coins left in the cracks are being removed by the trust, an operation it estimates will cost more than £30,000. Dr Cliff Henry, from the National Trust, said visitors "really love and cherish the Giant's Causeway, and many form deep personal connections to this special landscape". Made up of more than 40,000 columns, it was designated Northern Ireland's first Unesco World Heritage Site in 1986. Dr Henry said some "may want to leave a token of their visit, but the coins are causing damage and we are urging people to stop the practice and to leave no trace so this natural wonder remains special for future generations". Coins wedged into the joints and cracks in the rock are harming the 173-acre (700,000 square metre) area's basalt both aesthetically and physically, the British Geological Survey found. Dr Henry said it's study showed "coins are rusting, and expanding to three times their original thickness, which puts huge pressure on the surrounding rock, causing it to crumble". In addition, there are "unsightly streaks of copper, nickel and iron oxides [that] are also staining the stones where the coins are corroding". Local conditions, including sea spray and the mixture of metals in the coins, speed up expansion and corrosion. Specialists in stone conservation, sponsored by the National Trust and Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust, have started removing as many coins as possible without causing further damage from 10 test locations. They hope to go on to remove all the remaining coins, and have appealed to visitors not to leave any more. Mr Henry said they hope "if visitors see fewer coins in the stones and hear appeals to stop the damaging practice the problem can be solved". While geologists will say the Giant's Causeway was created by an outpouring of Basalt lava 60 million years ago around the time the North Atlantic was opening up, legend has it that it was formed by an Irish giant named Finn McCool who wanted to cross the Irish Sea to Scotland.
Telegraph
28-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Foreigners told to stop jamming coins in Giant's Causeway
The National Trust has told tourists to stop jamming coins into the Giant's Causeway over damage to the columns. Visitors have long wedged coins into the cracks of the basalt rock formations at Northern Ireland's World Heritage Site in north Antrim. The coins, which range from pounds and euros to American dollars and currency from the Far East, go on to rust and expand, putting pressure on the surrounding rock, staining it and causing it to crumble. Dr Cliff Henry, National Trust nature engagement officer at the Giant's Causeway, has urged visitors to leave no trace at the site. 'We know that visitors really love and cherish the Giant's Causeway, and many form deep personal connections to this special landscape,' he said. 'We know some may want to leave a token of their visit, but the coins are causing damage and we are urging people to stop the practice and to leave no trace so this natural wonder remains special for future generations.' Dr Henry, citing a report by the British Geological Survey, said coins had been fracturing the basalt rock through 'expansive delamination of the coins upon oxidation'. 'In other words, the coins are rusting and expanding to three times their original thickness, which puts huge pressure on the surrounding rock, causing it to crumble,' he said. 'Unsightly streaks of copper, nickel and iron oxides are also staining the stones where the coins are corroding.' Dr Henry said the salt water caused the coins to corrode faster, separating the coin's steel core from its outer layer. Since 1992, UK 'copper' coins have a steel core with a thin layer of copper on the outside, while five, 10 and 20 pence pieces are nickel-plated steel. The National Trust, in partnership with Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust, employed specialists in stone conservation to remove as many of the coins as they could without causing further damage on ten test locations. The organisation, which looks after more than 40,000 columns at the site, said the removal of the coins was expected to cost over £30,000. The trust hopes to remove all the remaining coins and has appealed to visitors not to leave any more. Visitors have crammed coins into the cracks over many years, likely out of superstition for health or luck, to make a wish akin to tossing a coin into a fountain, or to leave a memento similar to the sentiment of leaving a padlock on a bridge. In Paris, local authorities have outlawed attaching padlocks to the Pont des Arts bridge after part of the bridge collapsed in 2014. 'Help us protect the site' The National Trust said the ritual had become more common over the past decade. 'It is hoped that if visitors see fewer coins in the stones and hear appeals to stop the damaging practice, the problem can be solved,' Mr Henry said.. 'We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive. We are appealing to visitors to help us protect the World Heritage Site by stopping the practice of inserting coins into the Causeway stones.' Although folklore suggests the Causeway was built by the Irish giant Finn McCool to cross the North Channel to Scotland, geologists believe the hexagonal columns were created by an outpouring of lava 60 million years ago while Europe was tearing away from North America. Last year, the Giant's Causeway had about 684,000 visits.
BreakingNews.ie
28-05-2025
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Giant's Causeway being damaged by tourists leaving coins
Northern Ireland's World Heritage Site is being damaged by visitors leaving coins in the cracks of the famous stones. Scores of coins have been left wedged into the cracks of the basalt rock columns of the Giant's Causeway in north Antrim. Advertisement Reflecting the broad spectrum of visitors to the attraction, the coins range from UK currency to euros and from the far east and United States. American tourist from California, Ron Goubert, climbs down from The Honeycomb at Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA) However the coins go on to rust and expand, putting pressure on the surrounding rock, staining it and causing it to crumble. The UK National Trust said the removal of the coins is expected to cost more than £30,000 (€35,000), and have urged visitors to stop leaving coins at the site. Dr Cliff Henry, National Trust nature engagement officer at the Giant's Causeway said visitors should leave no trace. Advertisement 'We know that visitors really love and cherish the Giant's Causeway, and many form deep personal connections to this special landscape,' he said. 'We know some may want to leave a token of their visit, but the coins are causing damage and we are urging people to stop the practice and to leave no trace so this natural wonder remains special for future generations.' He pointed to a report by The British Geological Survey that concludes the coins wedged into the joints and cracks in the rock are having a detrimental impact on the basalt rock of the Giant's Causeway, both aesthetically and physically. Some of the coins left by visitors at the Giant's Causeway in Co Antrim (Dr Cliff Henry/PA) 'The report has found that fracturing and disintegration of the basalt rock adjacent to joints and cracks into which coins have been inserted is the result of the 'expansive delamination of the coins upon oxidation',' he said. Advertisement 'In other words, the coins are rusting, and expanding to three times their original thickness, which puts huge pressure on the surrounding rock causing it to crumble. Unsightly streaks of copper, nickel and iron oxides are also staining the stones where the coins are corroding.' The National Trust, in partnership with Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust, employed specialists in stone conservation to remove as many of the coins as they could without causing further damage on ten test locations. They hope to go on to remove all the remaining coins, and have appealed to visitors not to leave any more. Mr Henry added: 'It is hoped that if visitors see fewer coins in the stones and hear appeals to stop the damaging practice the problem can be solved.' Advertisement 'Many coins have a centre of one metal, with a thin coating of another. UK 'copper' coins, since 1992, have a steel core with only a thin layer of copper on the outside, while five, 10 and 20 pence pieces are nickel-plated steel. 'When coins start to corrode, the steel often corrodes faster and separates from the different metal of the outer layer. This delamination causes the basalt to flake. 'The coins here also have accelerated corrosion because they are often soaked in saltwater spray and the mixture of metals means they break down faster. 'We protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive. We are appealing to visitors to help us protect the World Heritage Site by stopping the practice of inserting coins into the Causeway stones.' Advertisement While geologists will say that the causeway was created by an outpouring of Basalt lava 60 million years ago around the time the North Atlantic was opening up, there are also legends that it was formed by an Irish giant Finn McCool. The National Trust protects and cares for more than 40,000 columns at the Giant's Causeway, which is Northern Ireland's first Unesco World Heritage Site and also benefits from a number of other important designations.
The Independent
28-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Tourists urged to stop jamming coins into iconic Giant's Causeway rocks
Tourists risk destroying Northern Ireland 's iconic Giant's Causeway rocks by jamming coins between them, experts warned. National Trust engagement officer Dr Cliff Henry said the discarded tender break and discolour the 60-million-year-old rocks by rusting and expanding. At least 684,000 tourists visited the County Antrim site last year, with some leaving behind the unwanted memento due to 'copy cat' behaviour. 'The coins are causing damage and we are urging people to stop the practice,' Dr Henry said. 'They are rusting and expanding, which causes the rock to crumble giant.' 'The rusting metal in there is starting to leach. The iron and nickel and copper is leaching out over the rocks and it looks unsightly.' The National Trust is set to spend £30,000 removing the coins, with a specialist stonemason extracting around 10 per cent of them so far. It will also erect signs at the world-famous site warning visitors against leaving the objects in an effort to 'protect and care for places so people and nature can thrive'. Dr Kirstin Lemon, of the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland, added: 'The advice is to see if we can remove as many of those coins as we can. "By removing them, it means we're stopping any further physical impact on the site itself. We're also stopping that chemical impact as well." The discarded coins show a range of visitors from all around the world, with most coming from the UK and EU, as well as the far east and USA, the National Trust said. Last year, the Giant's Causeway received about 684,000 visits. In 2019, there were nearly 1m visits, according to the BBC. According to legends, the site was formed by Irish giant Finn McCool who created the causeway to get across the Irish Sea to face his rival, the Scottish giant Benandonner. The mighty Benandonner then tore up most of the causeway to prevent Finn from getting back to Scotland. Another legend has it that the causeway was built so Finn could meet a Scottish maid he was enamoured with. However, most geologists agree it was created by an outpouring of Basalt lava 60 million years ago around the time the North Atlantic was opening up "It's an icon for Northern Ireland. If we can't look after this, what's the hope for the rest of the country? We really need to be looking after the causeway as best we can,' Dr Henry told the BBC.
