However, remember my plea a few posts back that the citizens of Winchester not turn the Hill into a recreational park, now that it's easier to get to? Too late. I had not made allowance for the entitlement of the middle-classes, who had arrived en masse to cull the weaklings among their offspring by encouraging them to slide down this registered Ancient Monument and Site of Special Scientific Interest on their well-padded arses.
Just look at the damage: that's bare earth, now, on the side of the hill. No doubt the grass will grow back, but really... There is no point in asking for a little more respect from people who regard the earth as their playground.
And, yes, that is a staircase going up the hill: put there to stop precisely this kind of erosion in wet weather, not to ease the re-ascent of vandals on plastic toboggans.
12 comments:
As someone who sits at the bottom of the class ladder, having been born in Australia, I wonder how you can tell that the damage was done by middle class arses. Do they have a particular pattern?
Jeff,
Fair point -- I've got a pretty middle-class arse myself these days, and it does seem much the same as it started out, only bigger.
The main clues lie in the accents, the abundance of designer ski-wear, the names of the children, and something about the way the parents hover nearby...
Put it another way: according to the BBC, the average 3-bedroom semi-detached house in Winchester costs £305K, and the average detached house £544K. The same houses in Southampton cost £196K and £254K. Winchester is one of the most desirable places to live in Britain -- I'd live there myself if I could afford it!
But, you're right, I have a certain prejudice which is unfair and hypocritical...
Mike
Mike,
Being at the bottom of the ladder, but not giving a rat's about it, does give one a different perspective. I will never forget the treatment I was given by a bunch that considered themselves superior at a worldwide conference. Americans and Europeans were treated quite differently to someone from a Commonwealth country.
It does strike me that, the lower the class, the harder the game is played.
Jeff,
I'd have to disagree on that last point... Kids are taught to play to win at public schools.
Mike
Mike,
I bow to your superior knowledge of the subject.
If I remember correctly working class sledging arses normally ride on plastic fertilizer sacks (at least they did when I was young)
They may do less damage than middle class toboggans.
I like the shot of viaduct - I watching a recording of Waldemar Januszczaks Dark Ages program. The sequence of the Sutton Hoo helmet reminded me of your photographs of the Viaduct from last year. It's good to see our Anglo Saxon Chief decked out in snow
Gavin
Gavin,
Yes, the Sutton Hoo resemblance is inescapable, once it's pointed out. Somehow, it's only apparent when photographed.
Mike
Shame on the middle classes for ignoring your earlier blog, Mike. Especially all those young Tarquins and Annabellas. Of course it could be argued that the whole country is being destroyed by people with more money than sense, so this relatively minor bit of vandalism should not come as too much of a surprise.
I'll bet the working class kids in Shephall and Bedwell will be having fun at the Canyon at the moment, assuming an adult can get there to open it up. Though the Elf and Safety nazis may have put their oar in.
eeyorn,
I know... I need to try harder to get the message out.
It's odd, really, the words "entitlement of the middle-classes" just sort of slipped out, but somehow became the focus of the piece. I should stop being so lazy with my abuse: who knows what demographic was responsible for this vandalism?
For years, various caravans and benders occupied by ex-Dongas protesters (a.k.a. "crusties") were spread around the bottom of the hill. All bar a few have been cleared out, now. Making the world safe for sledgers in skiwear?
Mike
Oh I don't doubt that you've identified a sizeable demographic of thoughtless rural vandalsm. Most hunts cause a lot of damage to farmland and the countryside, so they have a good track record.
I believe the Tories will be pitching again to sell off Forestry and other bits of 'common' lands to their chums.
I was very nearly killed by a hunt a few years back (it's my bushy tail that does it).
I was walking with a friend in the New Forest near Fritham, going along a dark, narrow, muddy path between thick undergrowth, when a bloody great horse with a red-coated rider came pounding round the corner, followed by half a dozen more. We had to dive for it. I don't think they even saw us. Grrr.
Mike
Had a week's camping at Fritham and cycling round the New Forest about 4 years ago. Glorious. Lots of wonderfully wild ponies but no red coats. No killers, as far as I know, though some might be classified as manically suicidal when they decide to mug some of the interlopers.
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