Latest news with #SalisburyPlain
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Wiltshire could see new towns and villages built on green fields'
This month Wiltshire MPs had their first meeting with the new Leader of the Council, Liberal Democrat Councillor Ian Thorn. Discussion focused on the massive increase in housebuilding in Wiltshire that the Government has ordered. I fully recognise the country needs more housing - but it needs it primarily in urban areas, not on green fields in the countryside. Our towns and villages need to grow too, but in a way that is sustainable and sympathetic to existing settlements. Previous plans for 2,000 new homes a year in Wiltshire already exceeded actual local demand, but were manageable. The Government is imposing an 80 per cent increase in this target, from 2,000 to 3,400 new homes a year. Wiltshire Council's officers explained to us that it is not yet clear where these new homes will go, but that the council is looking at all options including building new towns and villages. This is seriously concerning. Wiltshire is a doughnut around Salisbury Plain and so - presuming they don't intend to build on the Plain - any new towns would need to fit into the limited space around the edges. I would strongly oppose any plans to create new settlements on green fields in East Wiltshire. The Labour Government is demanding plans are put in place within 30 months which will mean less public engagement than is proper with a huge change of this nature. I will do what I can to ensure we don't get excessive new building in our area; and that any new developments have a cast-iron obligation to deliver the infrastructure (from schools to sewage works) that the additional population makes necessary. The previous Conservative administration at [[Wiltshire Council]] invested significantly in council housing in rural areas. I am dismayed that this month the Lib Dem led council has started selling off these homes. Even if the intention is to use the receipts for replacement purchases, these houses will never be recovered - and there is no guarantee they'll be replaced with new council houses in the same villages. It's the wrong decision.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
RSPCA rescues 10 cats from locked cages on Salisbury Plain
A group of cats has been rescued after being found abandoned and locked in two cages on Salisbury 10 cats were described as "not in a good condition" when found and had been left with no food or been contacted by a member of the public on Friday, the Mid Wiltshire branch of the RSPCA recovered the cats, none of which were microchipped. Trustee and branch chairman Andy Sheppard said the new arrivals would be checked over by vets before eventually being rehomed in pairs. Mr Sheppard said the cats would not have survived for long had they not been found."I would guess they'd either been there that day, or maybe the evening or the afternoon the day before," he added."If they hadn't been found, they'd have died and quite quickly."Very distinctively, they were left in two plastic carriers - orange and blue. These carriers were made in Australia, so quite unusual to come across something like that."That might give somebody a clue as to who, who these cats belong to and who dumped them, we would seriously like a conversation with them." Mr Sheppard said he believes the cats all come from a single home, and will be checked by vets before they are rehomed."I would guess they've all come together from the same household. They all get on. Hopefully we will try to home them in pairs, so they're all used to each other."We work with this sort of situation - not as bad as this - quite regularly, day to day, with cats coming in, cats going out."Some of them have got some health issues. So the trouble with that is it has a financial implication on the charity to finance it all," said Mr added that the abandonment of animals is a crime and that he would "love to catch up with the people" who abandoned the cats "in the middle of nowhere on a hot summer day".
The Sun
23-07-2025
- The Sun
Abandoned UK village dating back to Domesday Book is reopening next month – but visitors must beware of hidden danger
AN ABANDONED village is set to reopen next month, as visitors are warned about historic dangers. Imber Village in Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, dates back to the Domesday Book, and has also operated as a military training site. 8 8 8 8 Visiting the village Next month, from August 23 to 25, the site will be reopening to the public, providing a unique opportunity to explore its empty buildings and abandoned military vehicles. However, a number of signs around the site warn visitors about a potential safety hazard. The signs read: "Danger unexploded military debris. Do not leave the carriageway." Behind the sign, pictures show a disused military tank, as well as a set of tank tracks next to a grassy mound. Getting to the village The annual bus service, known as Imberbus, will return on Saturday, August 16. It includes up to 30 Routemaster buses, as well as other vehicles, that will run from Warminster to Imber, in addition to other villages in Salisbury Plain. Buses will operate for one day only on a regular service between 10am and 6pm. Tickets cost £10 for adults and £2 for children and can be used an unlimited amount on the day. This gives visitors the opportunity to explore other villages in the area. The following week Imber village will reopen to the public. History While much of the village is no longer in tact, there are still a number of empty houses and cottages that can be explored. A pub called The Bell Inn still stands. Other buildings still standing include the manor house, Imber Court, a farmhouse, farm cottages, a small schoolhouse, and four housing blocks built in 1938. The nearby St Giles' Church dates back to the 13th century and became a Grade I listed building in 1987. A record of the Wiltshire village in the Domesday Book of 1086 shows it was an isolated community that relied heavily on agriculture. Having been owned by the Ministry of Defence since 1932, visitors are only welcome at the site for a few days each year. The opening times usually fall once in the spring, summer, and over the Christmas and New Year period. In 1943, its population of around 150 was evicted to provide a training ground for American troops during WW2. The site is still controlled by the Ministry of Defence, despite attempts from some locals to return. It was last open to the public at Easter, with photos showing the eerie village streets. 8 8 8 8
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Stonehenge mystery is SOLVED after 5,000 years – as scientists finally crack how enigmatic boulder was transported from Wales
It's the monument that has baffled scientists for hundreds of years. But now, experts may have finally solved one of Stonehenge's greatest mysteries. Researchers have revisited the debate over the origin of the landmark's iconic bluestones – the group of smaller stones that are dotted around the site on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. They focused on a rock known as the Newall boulder, which was uncovered during excavations around a century ago. One of the main debates has been whether this rock – and other similar stones – reached the site after being transported by glaciers from Wales, or whether humans moved them more than 5,000 years ago. A team, led by Professor Richard Bevins from Aberystwyth University, compared the Newall boulder – which is about the size of a football – with samples from a rocky outcrop in Wales. Through geochemical and microscopic analysis, they concluded 'there is no evidence to support the interpretation that it is a glacial erratic'. Instead, the stone is a precise match for the unique characteristics of rocks from Craig Rhos–y–Felin – indicating humans transported the heavy boulder from more than 125 miles (200km) away. There is already evidence of stone quarrying at the site, in north Pembrokeshire, by Neolithic communities around 3000 BCE, they explained. Chemical analysis revealed that the Newall boulder and other fragments found at Stonehenge share identical levels of thorium and zirconium with the stone at Craig Rhos–y–Felin. The researchers said the Newall boulder is a foliated rhyolite and has a surface layer rich in calcium carbonate – the result of its long burial in the chalky soils at Stonehenge. This further reinforces the idea that it was brought here by humans and not glaciers, they said, because glaciers would have left a much more dispersed distribution of similar stones across the region – something that has not been found. The study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, also makes an important discovery about another of the buried stones at Stonehenge – Stone 32d. It was previously thought to be a type of rock called a spotted dolerite, but new analysis confirms it is also a foliated rhyolite – like the Newall boulder. Transporting these stones, which can weigh over three tonnes, from Wales to Stonehenge would have been an incredible feat of human logistics. 'Part of the fascination of Stonehenge is that many of its megaliths, in contrast to the large, relatively local sarsens, can be proven to have been sourced from Wales, over 200km to the west,' the researchers wrote. What are the Stonehenge bluestones? The bluestones of Stonehenge are a collection of smaller, distinctive stones that form the inner circle and horseshoe formations within the monument. They are named for the bluish tinge they exhibit when freshly broken or wet, despite not always appearing blue in their current state. These stones are not native to the Salisbury Plain area where Stonehenge is located, and are known to have been sourced from Pembrokeshire in Wales. 'Most archaeologists accept that Neolithic people achieved this remarkable feat, transporting blocks weighing up to 3.5 tonnes. 'There is, however, a contrary view, which proposed that no human effort was involved. 'Rather, it is argued, the Welsh stones were transported by glacial ice long before Stonehenge was built.' One of the main proponents of the glacier theory is geologist Dr Brian John, who has previously insisted that the Newall boulder shows glacial abrasion marks. A prior study of his concludes: 'The boulder was reduced in size and heavily modified during glacial transport, for much of the time on the bed of a glacier. 'It was eventually dumped at some location on, or relatively close to, Salisbury Plain.' As part of the new study, the researchers said these features could also be the result of natural weathering. They also said that even if the rock had been transported by ice in the past, it would not explain why similar fragments are only found at Stonehenge and not anywhere else on the Salisbury Plain. The experts said the minerologies of stone from Craig Rhos–y–Felin (left) are identical to stones from Stonehenge (right), indicating they came from the same source Their findings indicate that Dr John's arguments 'have no basis in evidence', they wrote, adding: 'To present it as fact, rather than as hypothesis, is disingenuous'. 'The presence of Stonehenge itself is the evidence of movement by Neolithic peoples of stones weighing up to as much as 40 tonnes,' they wrote. 'Unless it is argued that all the stones were just lying on the ground ready to be erected where they were to make Stonehenge, the stones must have been moved into position. 'If Neolithic people could move a stone a few tens of metres they could move it tens or hundreds of kilometres. 'It may not have been easy, but it was entirely possible and moving 2–3 tonne bluestones would involve an order of magnitude less effort than moving the sarsens.' While the large sarsen stones were only transported from West Woods in Wiltshire – roughly 32km (20 miles) away – they weighed over 20 tonnes each and stood up to seven metres tall. The famous 'Altar Stone' was even transported from Scotland around 750km (466 miles) away, a study published last year revealed. 'There is no evidence for how they moved these stones,' the researchers wrote, 'but recent indigenous peoples have been transporting stones weighing many tonnes great distances with ropes, wooden sledges and trackways – technologies which would have been available in the Neolithic.' While builders 5,000 years ago normally used whatever materials were at hand for stone circles, Stonehenge is 'exceptional' for being constructed entirely of stones brought from long distances, the team said. Researchers have previously suggested that the site may have had a political as well as a religious purpose, 'a moment of unification for the peoples of Britain, celebrating their eternal links with their ancestors and the cosmos'. The new study provides strong evidence of human transport, but the mystery of exactly why Stonehenge was built – and how – is ongoing. The team concluded: 'We reiterate our previous interpretation that the Newall boulder is not a glacial erratic, that there is no evidence of glaciation on the Salisbury Plain, and that the bluestones were transported to Stonehenge by humans and not by ice.' The Stonehenge monument standing today was the final stage of a four part building project that ended 3,500 years ago Stonehenge is one of the most prominent prehistoric monuments in Britain. The Stonehenge that can be seen today is the final stage that was completed about 3,500 years ago. According to the monument's website, Stonehenge was built in four stages: First stage: The first version of Stonehenge was a large earthwork or Henge, comprising a ditch, bank and the Aubrey holes, all probably built around 3100 BC. The Aubrey holes are round pits in the chalk, about one metre (3.3 feet) wide and deep, with steep sides and flat bottoms. They form a circle about 86.6 metres (284 feet) in diameter. Excavations revealed cremated human bones in some of the chalk filling, but the holes themselves were likely not made to be used as graves, but as part of a religious ceremony. After this first stage, Stonehenge was abandoned and left untouched for more than 1,000 years. Second stage: The second and most dramatic stage of Stonehenge started around 2150 years BC, when about 82 bluestones from the Preseli mountains in south-west Wales were transported to the site. It's thought that the stones, some of which weigh four tonnes each, were dragged on rollers and sledges to the waters at Milford Haven, where they were loaded onto rafts. They were carried on water along the south coast of Wales and up the rivers Avon and Frome, before being dragged overland again near Warminster and Wiltshire. The final stage of the journey was mainly by water, down the river Wylye to Salisbury, then the Salisbury Avon to west Amesbury. The journey spanned nearly 240 miles, and once at the site, the stones were set up in the centre to form an incomplete double circle. During the same period, the original entrance was widened and a pair of Heel Stones were erected. The nearer part of the Avenue, connecting Stonehenge with the River Avon, was built aligned with the midsummer sunrise. Third stage: The third stage of Stonehenge, which took place about 2000 years BC, saw the arrival of the sarsen stones (a type of sandstone), which were larger than the bluestones. They were likely brought from the Marlborough Downs (40 kilometres, or 25 miles, north of Stonehenge). The largest of the sarsen stones transported to Stonehenge weighs 50 tonnes, and transportation by water would not have been possible, so it's suspected that they were transported using sledges and ropes. Calculations have shown that it would have taken 500 men using leather ropes to pull one stone, with an extra 100 men needed to lay the rollers in front of the sledge. These stones were arranged in an outer circle with a continuous run of lintels - horizontal supports. Inside the circle, five trilithons - structures consisting of two upright stones and a third across the top as a lintel - were placed in a horseshoe arrangement, which can still be seen today. Final stage: The fourth and final stage took place just after 1500 years BC, when the smaller bluestones were rearranged in the horseshoe and circle that can be seen today. The original number of stones in the bluestone circle was probably around 60, but these have since been removed or broken up. Some remain as stumps below ground level.
The Guardian
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ban on Palestine Action will rebound on Labour
In 1983, along with thousands of other women, I cut down sections of the fence around RAF Greenham Common, which was to house nuclear weapons in the form of cruise missiles (Greenham Common women urge new generation to 'rise up' against nuclear threat, 27 July). Arrested and fined £50 for criminal damage, I was jailed for a couple of weeks for refusing to pay the fine. After the missiles arrived in 1984, I joined Cruisewatch actions, which, by obstructing the convoys on the road and throwing paintballs at them, prevented any missile deployment exercises taking place in secret. Again the charges were not severe. Arrested on Salisbury Plain on one occasion, my friends and I were released without charge. Women who did more than £10,000 worth of damage by painting the Blackbird spy plane in 1983 also had their charges dropped. This week, if the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has her way, those committing similar kinds of criminal damage could face 14 years in jail for 'terrorism' (Free speech target or terrorist gang? The inside story of Palestine Action – and the plan to ban it, 28 June). Yet nonviolent civil disobedience works. In 2004, Mikhail Gorbachev said he attended the 1986 Reykjavik summit because he was confident that 'the Greenham Common women and the peace movements of Europe […] would not let America take advantage if we took this step forward'. That step led to a 1987 treaty removing tactical nuclear weapons, including cruise missiles, from Europe. Keir Starmer plans once again to deploy tactical nuclear weapons, under US government control, on British soil and mass protests are already planned. As the Guardian pointed out in its excellent editorial on Palestine Action (23 June), Starmer might think that 'redefining visible dissent as a national security threat is a way to contain public anger', but it is unlikely to make it go away. On the contrary, Margaret Thatcher's government appeared to recognise that increased repression of 'eccentric' women might actually increase popular support for a cause. Perhaps he could learn Lynne JonesMousehole, Cornwall My daughter is in prison awaiting trial in relation to direct action against an Israeli‑owned weapons company last summer by Palestine Action. I am reeling at the news that Yvette Cooper is planning to add the group to the terror list. This is hypocrisy of the highest order. My daughter joined Palestine Action because she saw her government breaking international humanitarian law by partnering in Israel's genocide, including supplying weapons, and she saw that all the marches she attended and petitions she signed were roundly ignored. If Palestine Action is criminalised, so will all the people be who provide support without taking direct action themselves. Palestine Action volunteers give my daughter invaluable emotional and practical support. They visit her in prison, speak to her on the phone, write her letters and send her money and books. Will they be forced to stop, or face prison themselves? People of conscience are not terrorists or criminals. That label belongs to a government that is arming regimes, committing crimes against humanity, and crushing anyone at home who opposes these illegal acts. I think the wrong people are in and address supplied I wholeheartedly agree with Juliet Stevenson's article (Palestine Action spraying paint is not terrorism. As ministers abuse their powers, I feel a duty to speak out, 30 June). I wonder whether Yvette Cooper would be where she is today without the often extreme actions of the suffragettes. Claire JauffretWimbledon, London Sally Rooney's brilliant defence of Palestine Action deserves wide support (Israel kills innocent Palestinians. Activists spray-paint a plane. Guess which the UK government calls terrorism, 22 June). If it is indeed made a proscribed organisation, I urge admirers of its non-violent protest to express their approval of the group in public at every opportunity. Let the police arrest all of us, send us to trial. If we believe in freedom of speech, the least we can do is to reconcile ourselves to the possibility of incarceration for the sake of that hard-won right. It is our right to express approval of non-violent direct action against cooperation with those who commit war crimes. If courts and prisons are clogged and overflowing as a result, the government will soon get the message not to mess with reasonable Graham MurphyLiverpool Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
