September 2003

  Cornish barrow withdrawn from sale

A Bronze Age burial mound which sits on a Cornish hilltop went under the hammer at an auction, attracting hundreds of potential buyers. But the 4,000-year-old monument, which has belonged to the family of 1970s' rock musician Nic Potter for more than half a century, was withdrawn from the sale after bidding failed to reach the reserve price of £20,000. Bids at the sale began at £1,000. But at £17,000 the burial mound was withdrawn.
     Afterwards, Mr Potter - who was the bass player for Van Der Graaf Generator - told of his relief that he still owned the 11.5 metres-wide monument on a hilltop between St Ives and Penzance. "I have been lying awake at night thinking how much I love the barrow," he said. "In a sense I was relieved because if a bid of £18,000 had been made it would definitely have been sold and, thinking about it now, how could I have sold a piece of Cornwall? Really, it's beyond value."
     The sale had attracted the interest of best-selling author Frederick Forsyth, although the novelist did not bid for the mound. Other potential buyers had reportedly spoken of buying the Cornish monument as a grave for themselves. Mr Potter, who discovered the circle of granite rocks that make up the burial mound in thick undergrowth two years ago, added: "It would have bothered me for the rest of my life if someone had bought it as a grave."

Source: Cornish Guardian (25 September 2003)