Albert T Smith Posted November 10, 2006 Author Share Posted November 10, 2006 gosh only just noticed that after you pointing it out, do you not log on much albert? Busy man love! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichK Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Never venture across Totley Moss alone. - It is a very, very dangerous place to go to. . Why is it? Just curious - never been there but might do some fell running around there soon. Edit - answering my own question - I've just checked the map and it says "danger area" all over it. Will avoid! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert T Smith Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share Posted November 12, 2006 Why is it? Just curious - never been there but might do some fell running around there soon. Edit - answering my own question - I've just checked the map and it says "danger area" all over it. Will avoid! The Danger area which you refer to is regarding the 'Old Army Training Area'. This as been cleared and can be used with the kind permission of the Eastern Estates'. Obviously they would prefer that you used the paths. The Totley Moss area which I refer to is situated at the other side of the moor road towards the 'Long Pole' and 'Ladys Cross'. Roughly GR 270790 and280780. So good luck with your running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichK Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Why is the Moss dangerous? Is it really boggy or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert T Smith Posted November 12, 2006 Author Share Posted November 12, 2006 Totley Moss acts as the main soak-away for the Totley Moor draining into Barbrook Reservoir which is (was) situated on Big Moor. It is connected to Big Moor via Barbrook Bridge (GR276783). Totley Moss itself, is not dangerous, it has been their years and never harmed itself. The danger is:- People who visit the area and do not respect the danger that they put themselves and others in. In the event that they have a minor accident whilst hidded from view in one of the serveral deep drainage gullys. It is for this reason that I always suggest that people do not visit the area. If they do and they experience the danger that exist. My concience is clear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert T Smith Posted November 23, 2006 Author Share Posted November 23, 2006 Hi Albert, Is that the Albert Smith that I used to work with on Muscular Dystrophy research? who lived on Totley brook estate? A very interesting article was written in the Daily Mail on 16 November, (The day I was born a few years ago) regarding a posible treatment within the forseeable future for Muscular Dystrophy. But I still have not got a reason why a Stone Cairn and a few yards away a Trig Point exist on Totley Moor. The stones on the cairn are often rebuilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artigo Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 Dear Mr. Smith You wanted to know about the origins of a cairn above Totley. Maybe there is more than one cairn up there, but I can give you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about one of the cairns. When I was using Google Earth one day, I suddenly remembered the cairn, looked for it and found it. I wrote to the Ordnance survey a few days later. 2008-01-03 Email to Ordnance Survey Good morning, Ms ****** The pile of stones at 428785,378880 is relatively new. I started to build it in the autumn of 1982 when I was a student at Sheffield Polytechnic living in the student residences in Totley. I had nothing better to do on Sundays than go out walking, sometimes with friends though usually alone. The thing grew. When I left Totley in June 1983, the thing was about three metres in diameter and about 2½ metres high. I constructed the whole as a spiral ramp, not only so that I could get to the top of it to increase its size, but also in the hope that this type of construction would encourage passers-by to add to the pile. This they seem to have done. Not only that, someone has planted a cross on top of it, as the attached photo clearly shows. Through the construction of this cairn I may have annoyed a few farmers since I took the stones from a low wall that runs very nearly east-west. The wall had, however, already collapsed to such an extent that it kept sheep neither in nor out. I have independent witnesses who can corroborate my report. The name Gavin’s Mound – which is after all what it is called – was not my idea: a fellow-student called it that, and the name stuck. Personally, I don’t like the name. But the fact of the matter is: that is what it is called. I built it so that it would be clearly visible from my flat window on the 11th floor of the enormous tower block in Totley. The tower block seems to have been demolished in the meantime. But the Mound is also visible from the centre of Sheffield on a good day, and is also clearly visible in Google Earth. What is the ruling on such self-glorification? If I go and build another mound and name it after myself, why should it not be called so on your excellent maps? If I can supply evidence pertinent to the development and naming of the structure, will you please call it Gavin’s Mound on your updated map sheet? The structure is, when all is said and done, a useful point of orientation to walkers in an area that is – apart from the nearby triangulation point that is hardly visible at all from a distance – flat and featureless. It would be a shame to eradicate it completely from your map sheet. If you are unwilling to accept my report, then you could at least refer to it as Cairn perhaps or simply Stones, or not? Yours excitedly Gavin Hodgkinson Ms ****** replied. 2008-01-08 Email from Ordnance Survey Dear Mr. Hodgkinson Thank you for your email of 3 January 2007 regarding the stone pile on Totley Moor. I have forwarded your comments to our technical team and they have advised that the stones in question were originally an enclosure, called the Brown Edge Stone Circle. The enclosure is listed as a scheduled monument, as it is in an area of Bronze Age Settlement, and consists of two stone circles which were excavated in 1963. It had a central cairn and 5 cremations and a hearth. As the stones were part of the scheduled monument, it is illegal to move them. So we would strongly discourage any further movement of stones at this location. English Heritage, who are responsible for the Stone Circle, have been notified of the changes as they may wish to return the stones to their original position. The pile of stones, Gavin’s Mound, will not be shown or named on the mapping as it is not an authorised structure and may be dismantled by English Heritage. Thank you for contacting Ordnance Survey about this matter. Kind regards I am preparing the following letter to send back. My greatest hope is that the following information, posted by stubob (probably the same person) 31st October 2003 is true. He pinpoints with incredible accuracy the position of the Circle at 53° 18' 21.25" N, 1° 34' 3.91" W. (Source: *****) My Mound is at 53° 18' 23.18" N, 1° 34' 8.30" W, a good hundred metres roughly WNW of the site of Brown Edge Stone Circle. Believe me, Ms. Norris, I carried no stones of this calibre (an estimated 180 to 220 kg over a distance of 120 metres). I took stones exclusively from the low, useless wall. So I really do believe the Circle has remained unaffected by my activity and do not really need to be ashamed of myself, especially since I am not alone. I refer your attention to the correspondence at Sheffield Forum. This site also points out that there used to be a triangulation point exactly where my mound stands, that has since been removed. A map of Derbyshire 1882 shows it clearly and the height 1252 ft (382 m). I’m sure nobody would put a trig point in the middle of an ancient monument. I have since registered for membership of The Megalithic Portal in the meantime, so that I can ask stu if the Brown Edge Stone Circle has remained unscathed. I have also registered for membership of another website, The Modern Antiquarian, to discover more. I have also contacted Alistair McIvor, who seems to know a lot about the site. Believe me, Ms ******, I will thoroughly regret any damage that I might have done, since I am myself interested in history, especially that of Angeln, North Germany, between 200 B. C. and 800 A. D. I shall contact you in future only if I feel I have anything important to report. I feel that I am getting on your nerves although I intended no harm. Yours sincerely Gavin Hodgkinson My question to you now, Mr. Smith, is whether the Brown Edge Stone Circle has in any way been damaged by the construction of the cairn. I am eager to hear from you. Kind regards Gavin Hodgkinson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert T Smith Posted January 9, 2008 Author Share Posted January 9, 2008 Dear Mr. Smith You wanted to know about the origins of a cairn above Totley. Maybe there is more than one cairn up there, but I can give you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about one of the cairns. When I was using Google Earth one day, I suddenly remembered the cairn, looked for it and found it. I wrote to the Ordnance survey a few days later. 2008-01-03 Email to Ordnance Survey Good morning, Ms ****** The pile of stones at 428785,378880 is relatively new. I started to build it in the autumn of 1982 when I was a student at Sheffield Polytechnic living in the student residences in Totley. I had nothing better to do on Sundays than go out walking, sometimes with friends though usually alone. The thing grew. When I left Totley in June 1983, the thing was about three metres in diameter and about 2½ metres high. I constructed the whole as a spiral ramp, not only so that I could get to the top of it to increase its size, but also in the hope that this type of construction would encourage passers-by to add to the pile. This they seem to have done. Not only that, someone has planted a cross on top of it, as the attached photo clearly shows. Through the construction of this cairn I may have annoyed a few farmers since I took the stones from a low wall that runs very nearly east-west. The wall had, however, already collapsed to such an extent that it kept sheep neither in nor out. I have independent witnesses who can corroborate my report. The name Gavin’s Mound – which is after all what it is called – was not my idea: a fellow-student called it that, and the name stuck. Personally, I don’t like the name. But the fact of the matter is: that is what it is called. I built it so that it would be clearly visible from my flat window on the 11th floor of the enormous tower block in Totley. The tower block seems to have been demolished in the meantime. But the Mound is also visible from the centre of Sheffield on a good day, and is also clearly visible in Google Earth. What is the ruling on such self-glorification? If I go and build another mound and name it after myself, why should it not be called so on your excellent maps? If I can supply evidence pertinent to the development and naming of the structure, will you please call it Gavin’s Mound on your updated map sheet? The structure is, when all is said and done, a useful point of orientation to walkers in an area that is – apart from the nearby triangulation point that is hardly visible at all from a distance – flat and featureless. It would be a shame to eradicate it completely from your map sheet. If you are unwilling to accept my report, then you could at least refer to it as Cairn perhaps or simply Stones, or not? Yours excitedly Gavin Hodgkinson Ms ****** replied. 2008-01-08 Email from Ordnance Survey Dear Mr. Hodgkinson Thank you for your email of 3 January 2007 regarding the stone pile on Totley Moor. I have forwarded your comments to our technical team and they have advised that the stones in question were originally an enclosure, called the Brown Edge Stone Circle. The enclosure is listed as a scheduled monument, as it is in an area of Bronze Age Settlement, and consists of two stone circles which were excavated in 1963. It had a central cairn and 5 cremations and a hearth. As the stones were part of the scheduled monument, it is illegal to move them. So we would strongly discourage any further movement of stones at this location. English Heritage, who are responsible for the Stone Circle, have been notified of the changes as they may wish to return the stones to their original position. The pile of stones, Gavin’s Mound, will not be shown or named on the mapping as it is not an authorised structure and may be dismantled by English Heritage. Thank you for contacting Ordnance Survey about this matter. Kind regards I am preparing the following letter to send back. My greatest hope is that the following information, posted by stubob (probably the same person) 31st October 2003 is true. He pinpoints with incredible accuracy the position of the Circle at 53° 18' 21.25" N, 1° 34' 3.91" W. (Source: *****) My Mound is at 53° 18' 23.18" N, 1° 34' 8.30" W, a good hundred metres roughly WNW of the site of Brown Edge Stone Circle. Believe me, Ms. Norris, I carried no stones of this calibre (an estimated 180 to 220 kg over a distance of 120 metres). I took stones exclusively from the low, useless wall. So I really do believe the Circle has remained unaffected by my activity and do not really need to be ashamed of myself, especially since I am not alone. I refer your attention to the correspondence at Sheffield Forum. This site also points out that there used to be a triangulation point exactly where my mound stands, that has since been removed. A map of Derbyshire 1882 shows it clearly and the height 1252 ft (382 m). I’m sure nobody would put a trig point in the middle of an ancient monument. I have since registered for membership of The Megalithic Portal in the meantime, so that I can ask stu if the Brown Edge Stone Circle has remained unscathed. I have also registered for membership of another website, The Modern Antiquarian, to discover more. I have also contacted Alistair McIvor, who seems to know a lot about the site. Believe me, Ms ******, I will thoroughly regret any damage that I might have done, since I am myself interested in history, especially that of Angeln, North Germany, between 200 B. C. and 800 A. D. I shall contact you in future only if I feel I have anything important to report. I feel that I am getting on your nerves although I intended no harm. Yours sincerely Gavin Hodgkinson My question to you now, Mr. Smith, is whether the Brown Edge Stone Circle has in any way been damaged by the construction of the cairn. I am eager to hear from you. Kind regards Gavin Hodgkinson During the coming months I'll have a good look around the area and come back to you. You may be please to know that from information that I have, Because the cairn is NOT mentioned, I am inclined to except your direct involvement in building it but let me be certain, before I commit myself. I live looking up to the ridge where the Cairn is situated. The only intriguing matter that as arose over the past few years which I observed through my binoculars, was that a Religious Ceremony of some kind took place at dawn on Mid Summer day with a number of people dressed in robes Etc., But this ceremony took place on the end of Brown Edge a good two hundred Metres from the Cairn and I am not aware that anyone went to the cairn at the time. I only wish now that instead of staying at home I had gone up to the group and taken photographs I believe that where the cairn is situated is where the Chesterfield - Dronfield - Hathersage bridleway past many years ago. I'll check on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artigo Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 Dear Mr. Smith 3 °C this morning in Flensburg, stiff south-west wind and a beautiful sunrise. I jest not: I have several witnesses – fellow-students, friends and my mother – who are prepared to corroborate my report. I have even asked one of my friends from way back then, who is now a geography and sports teacher living in King’s Lynn, to write to Ordnance survey to back up my claims. My wife said to me yesterday evening that people would be disappointed by this unspectacular truth and would probably not be prepared to believe such a banal tale. But that’s the kind of person I am, Mr. Smith. I am given to flights of mild eccentricity. When I moved from Manchester to Totley in September 1982, I sorefully missed my girlfriend, whom I from then on saw only one weekend out of three. I used to go up there with sandwiches at the weekend and would come down only at nightfall. I used to gaze at the streetlights of Sheffield as they were switched on like stars lighting up. It is a wonderful sight. I suppose I was basically love-sick, lonely and bored. And I love walking. Having completed my teacher training at Sheffield City Polytechnic, I became a teacher at Oakwood School in Rotherham of all places although I had applied for jobs all over the country. I wasn’t happy there. It was the time of the miners’ strikes and mass unemployment and most of the children couldn’t see the point in learning French and German when they were going to land on the dole anyway. Friday 19th July 1985 I set off on a marathon bicycle ride to Morocco and raised about 800 pounds for the Ben Hardwick Fund. I still have newspaper cuttings of my departure, directly at the end of the summer term, and after my return in September. They are probably from the Rotherham Star. I can’t really remember. But if they still have the issues from July and September of 1985 in some archive and you can find the articles, I’m sure that when you look at the photographs of me – a wiry, unshaven and benign young man – you will believe that I am a man well capable of erecting this cairn. I can send you photocopies of the newspaper cuttings if you like. Unhappy in my job, I left England 26th April 1986 – the day Chernobyl exploded. I’m always building things. I have recently built other structures here in Germany that can also be seen in Google Earth: our 5 metres by 4 metres sun-deck and two crazy paving paths. I also have a collection of lego that must weigh about 30 kg. I still love walking. My wife and I are often out and about. We live only two miles from the Baltic Sea in the beautiful region of Angeln – home of the Angles – where other people spend their holidays. I have had a look at your lovely photos at facebook. I would say that the cairn has grown about only 50 to 80 cm in height since I was last there. But the base has grown a great deal, especially in one direction. But I can tell you nothing about the cross. So the question remains as to who erected that. My main concern now is that the Brown Edge Stone Circle (Totley Circle), of which I knew nothing until last week, has not been damaged. But just like you, I sense and that the Circle lies about 120 metres ESE lower down the slope. I am going to write to Ordnance Survey again to tell them that it would be a crying shame if the cairn were to be dismantled. I think a lot of people – especially the people who planted the cross on top of it – would be very dismayed if the cairn were to disappear. Yours sincerely Gavin Hodgkinson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert T Smith Posted January 10, 2008 Author Share Posted January 10, 2008 Don't worry too much about the Cairn being Dis-Mantled. When it falls down. Someone re-builds it. I do not know who does and I've never noticed anyone doing it either, but it is rebuilt often. I am looking out for someone who owns a G.P.S. to enable accurate, spot on, Grid Ref to be recorded. I'm also still interested in post from anyone else who has a different version about how the Cairn came to be erected. I mentioned the Religious Group to my wife and she remembers that I awoke her and she witnessed part of it, until she went back to bed!!. Finally don't trouble yourself with the Stone Circle matter, If you know what to look for, its still partly in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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