18 replies to this topic

[rowan]

rowan, on 13 October 2007, 0:25, said:

I've also just emailed the Environment and Heritage Service of Cornwall County Council http://www.historic-...a2m/aboutus.htm about it.

Reply from them:

As you note, Helman Tor is indeed a Scheduled Monument; however while English Heritage has a remit to monitor the condition of Scheduled Monuments and advise owners on their management it does not look after any but a very few SMs personally.  The site is in fact owned by the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, and I will pass your comments on to them.

Ann Preston-Jones



I'd already emailed them so will post reply when i get it.

[rowan]

rowan, on 13 October 2007, 0:25, said:

I emailed English Heritage some time ago and was also told it was privately owned, but they suggested I write to the  English Heritage Inspector of Ancient Monuments at the regional office in Bristol.  I could not find an email address for them so emailed their Customer Services and asked them to forward the email to the relevant person. Will post here if/when I get a reply.

Got a reply, looks like it's gone back to the same place I started  

Quote

Thank you for your email which I have forwarded to our South West Region for further attention.  

They will endeavour to contact you with a full response within 10 working days.

Please be aware however that in some circumstances, complex or technical queries can take up to 21 days to investigate.  Please be assured that in these circumstances you will be contacted as soon as possible.

Please feel free to contact them on 0845 3010 007 or email southwest@english-heritage.org.uk  should you have any queries.

Thank you for your interest in English Heritage.

Yours sincerely

Anita Jeffs
Customer Services

[rowan]

For those who can't or haven't been there and seen the graffiti (or crosses) this was the situation when I went to the Tor last week.

The photo below is not mine, I found it on Google but couldn't find one that showed the crosses that have been painted on the rocks, only this one showing the concrete pillar.

The photo shows the summit of the Tor with the concrete pillar being the very highest point on the Tor, which in itself totally ruins it as it's visible from everywhere!  The crosses are painted on all 4 sides of the pillar, and because of the luminous silvery paint used the cross really stands out from the ordinary white background.  
The car park is quite high up on the south side of the Tor, and as you leave it and approach the summit you walk up a slope, away from the Saint's Way, and because the pillar is the highest point it provides the main focal point as you look up, with the shining cross standing out above all else.  

Those 4 crosses are bad enough and I find them totally offensive even though they are not on the actual Tor but on a concrete pillar.  But there are 2 more crosses painted on the actual rocks either side and slightly lower down than the pillar.  So you have a hill with a big cross in the middle and 2 slightly lower crosses either side - now where have I seen that image before?  

There is another cross painted on the west side of the Tor, again on the actual rocks, and like the 3 crosses on the south side it is facing the sun for a good part of the day so the silvery crosses are highlighted.

Walking round to the north you are on a large flatish area with grassed areas with large rocks scattered all over.  It's really lovely up there with wonderful views all around - except when you turn round again to be confronted by that bloody cross infested concrete pillar!

Whoever painted the crosses has made sure that you can't get away from them, and they totally ruin the natural beauty of this otherwise wonderful place.




Maybe the Cornwall Wildlife Trust are more interested in the actual wildlife of the place, and the crosses are not damaging any of that - not even much lichen etc on the granite rocks - but the crosses, or more accurately I should say graffiti, is very intrusive and overshadows everything else.

I didn't see any evidence of the racist graffiti when I was there the other day so it looks like that has been cleaned off.  So why leave the crosses there?

[Cakes]

maybe they were just doing their christian duty. at least you agreed with part of it and that's progress. i think someUno should clean the rest of it.

EDIT- real nice pic too, btw. thanks for posting it.