Great website

Fancy seeing how your neighbourhood has changed over the years, by checking out old aerial photos? Or are you just a history buff?

Then visit Britain From Above, simply register and there are thousands of archive shots of Blighty for you to get nostalgic over! With great features like zoom and changing angles, it's fun for all the family! You can even download photos too.

Open day at Rhydymwyn tunnels

Just in case anyone has a free Sunday, why not check out these tunnels at Rhydymwyn, in Flintshire, north Wales. While I applaud open days such as these, it's a pity that you only get to see the areas they want you to see, not the entire complex - damn that Health and Safety ethic this country is being strangled to death by...

See here for info.

Work afoot?

Hello. Does anyone know what's going on at the former RAF Yatesbury near Avebury/Calne in Wiltshire? Since my last visit it seems a large amount of contruction work has begun, indicated by the red crosses, as some form of large structure is being built? The rest of the site is clearly still totally abandoned.

A bit of Wiltshire history...

Deep in the very heart of 'crop circle country' (!), a microcosm of Wiltshire history for you in one photo – this is Cherhill Down, off the A4 between Calne & Avebury. The oldest feature here is Oldbury Castle Iron Age hillfort (between the horse and tower, but not really visible), which is c.4,500 years old (older Bronze Age dikes dated c.5,000 are also on the hilltop). The figure of the horse (the Cherhill White House – a pub in the village below is called the Black Horse, ha-ha!!) dates to 1780. It was turfed over in WW2 (to confound Jerry, what!) but restored to its current state in 2002.

The tower is the Lansdowne Monument and dates to 1845. Currently sealed off from the public for safety reasons, the tower was designed by Sir Charles Barry and built by the Third Marquis of Lansdowne in memory of his ancestor, Sir William Petty, physician and surveyor, 1627-84.

The hill is the highest point (258m) on the old A4 coach road between Bristol and London. The site has been owned by the National Trust since 1979, and is part of the North Wessex Downs AONB, an area of fabulous rolling chalk countryside.

All of this history overlooks the disused RAF Yatesbury to the north, now clearly the scene of construction work, hence me not revisiting today! Nearby too, is the 6,000-year-old Avebury Stone Circle and Avenue (plus the disused 1961-built Avebury ROC post, the reason for my visit), let alone the amazing Silbury Hill!

Close up photos of the horse and tower on request.