Quote:How do you measure the 'success' of an ancient monument, I wonder?
Many different ways. People walking the coast to coast Trail, perhaps? Around 7,000 per annum, way above what was originally envisaged when the Trail started in 2003. The money it brings into the local economy? Tourism is vital in areas like Cumbria and Northumberland, but it is far from the only source of income. But, perhaps the biggest gain has been the infiltration of the Wall into everybody's consciousness. How many charity walkers want to do the Wall dressed up as, oooh I don't know, a Republican legionary? Lots. I get a steady stream of notifications of people doing it for this or that reason.
But the important thing to remember is that monuments, like nice views or fresh air, are not businesses with business plans, goals, and mission statements. They need love, respect, and - yes - money. And if anybody feels the need to ask 'why?' then what on earth are you doing here, reading all this Roman nonsense? ;-)
At a time when we
still seem to be funding half-witted bankers to lose money by the truck-load (my own bank, the Co-operative, was, it emerged recently, run by a junkie with no banking experience, but let's leave that aside...), we need to assert the importance of the more intangible components of our existence, and those include, whether people like it or not, what we these days call 'heritage'.
Now the fact that the HWT are rolling over and dying (something which has evoked mixed feelings, as they were not universally loved and some even, rightly or wrongly, considered them incompetent) has little to do with the monument itself (which is still under statutory protection from English Heritage) but
does affect access to and enjoyment of said monument (sorry, we're supposed to call them 'heritage assets' these days, but that piece of businessspeak just sucks, so I still use 'monument') by you, me, and Uncle Tom Cobbley and all.
In the first instance they administered the AD122 bus service that went to the main sites along the Wall. That is under threat but it is hoped something will be retrieved from the wreckage. Then there is the National Trail itself. Maintenance was carried out by a Trail Officer and two lengthsmen and was essential to keep the path walkable and protect the monument from damage where the Trail interacts with it (as here, where it crosses the ditch in Wall Mile 32).
The lengthsmen have now gone, I understand, so if there is a really bad summer, like 2012 (when the above ditch crossing was a quagmire of goo), things could get nasty. Worst-case scenario: the path might have to be closed to protect the archaeology. Nobody knows at the moment. There is talk of the local highways departments taking over its maintenance, but since our roads are full of potholes, that doesn't sound too promising.
So, yes it does matter, but it matters mostly because of the uncertainties, the lack of funds to do anything, and the fact that, despite all the guff about debts and deficits, Lamborghini sales are at an all-time high, we are still one of the richest nations on the planet, and we have a responsibility not to let this sort of sh*t happen on our watch.
One final measure of success for you. Local MP Rory Stewart wants to demonstrate against the end of the Union when Scotland votes upon its independence. How does he choose to do it? By asking for volunteers to join hands along the Wall. Not along the Scottish border (which is way to the north, something most Brits are vaguely unaware of), but along the Wall. 'Nuff said.
Mike Bishop