Gypsy Wedding Place damaged

We featured the Gypsy Wedding Place a few months ago, at which time it was relatively unknown, but gained some publicity in the local press when the local council met to decide on the preservation of the site, and the allocation of a £34,500 funding package to meet that aim and provided improved access for visitors.

At that time, the stones were protected from the hooves of wandering cattle by a couple of pallets simply laid over them.

The site in early 2008 with pallets protecting the stones from wandering cattle

Local preservation effort

Since them, it would appear that there has been some local, independent action taken to provide some more robust protection to the area of the stone heart, with three substantial stanchions being fixed around it, and supporting a strong chain to resist the cattle. Pictured back in July 2008.

Protective chain fence installed in advance of official council works

In light of the local work carried out to restore and protect the site, we understand that the local council funded work is not expected to proceed.

Damage to the site

A later visit to the site in September 2008 showed that there had been some problem with the enclosure, and that the chain link fence was lying broken on the ground, leaving the heart open to possible damage and of being trampled by the hooves of grazing cattle wandering in the field. Examination of the break appeared to show that the ends of the in the fence had been cut.

The chain link fence lying on the ground

Update

At the beginning of October 2008 we received news that the fence had been repaired and was back in place, and that a local news item had confirmed that there had been an error in the construction of the protective enclosure, but that it had now been restored and the error rectified.