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  "path": "/science/wiltshire-news-neolithic-marlborough-merlin-monument",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-21T13:53:49.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Inside Britain's military recruitment crisis as servicemen REJECTED for acne and lactose intolerance",
    "Charles Bronson calls prison 'total joke' as notorious criminal vows to 'expose unlawful sentence'",
    "Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor faces NEW investigation as MPs demand Mandelson probe over trade role",
    "2,000-year-old footprints on a Scottish beach, which were briefly uncovered by recent storms.",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nDemolition work at a Neolithic monument steeped in Arthurian legend will commence in April, following council approval granted last November.\n\nWiltshire Council has permitted Marlborough College to remove 20th-century structures that were built into the side of the 4,000-year-old man-made hill, known as Marlborough Mound.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe structures earmarked for removal include a carpentry workshop, toilet facilities, a plant room, and water infrastructure that were partially excavated into the nationally significant site.\n\nAccording to folklore, the wizard Merlin lies buried within the mound, a tradition that inspired Marlborough's Latin motto: \"ubi nunc sapientis ossa Merlini\" or \"where now are the bones of the wise Merlin\".\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe Marlborough Mound Trust, which is collaborating with the college on the restoration project, has confirmed the buildings will be \"taken down slowly, with an archaeologist present.\"\n\nAn archaeological assessment from 2024 concluded that significant discoveries beneath the structures are unlikely.\n\nDemolition will provide researchers with an opportunity to examine a cross-section of the ancient monument.\n\nIt could also uncover remnants of medieval and post-medieval water channels, according to project documentation.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nBeyond the archaeological benefits, removing these modern additions is expected to restore a more aesthetically appropriate setting for the prehistoric landmark.\n\nStanding at 60 feet tall, Marlborough Mound ranks as the second-highest monument of its type in Britain, surpassed only by Silbury Hill in the surrounding area.\n\nThe site's history extends well beyond its prehistoric origins. William the Conqueror commissioned a castle to be constructed atop the mound following the Norman invasion.\n\nConservation efforts have been ongoing for a quarter of a century, with the Marlborough Mound Trust established in 2000 to preserve and restore the monument.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Inside Britain's military recruitment crisis as servicemen REJECTED for acne and lactose intolerance\n  * Charles Bronson calls prison 'total joke' as notorious criminal vows to 'expose unlawful sentence'\n  * Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor faces NEW investigation as MPs demand Mandelson probe over trade role\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe Trust will celebrate its 25th anniversary on April 15 with a conference at the Society of Antiquaries in London. Attendees will examine the site's significance and the preservation work undertaken over the past two and a half decades.\n\nVeneration of the site is no surprise as archaeological marvels are regularly found, sometimes by accident, around the UK.\n\nLast week, dog walkers discovered 2,000-year-old footprints on a Scottish beach, which were briefly uncovered by recent storms.\n\nLocals Ivor Campbell and Jenny Snedden were walking their dogs at Lunan Bay in Angus last month when they noticed storm damage to the dunes had revealed a fresh layer of clay, spotting \"distinct markings\".\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nArchaeologists called to the scene found the prints were of human and animal feet, and had been made around 2,000 years ago at the height of the Roman Empire.\n\nA team of University of Aberdeen archaeologists faced a race against time to capture data from the site before it was reclaimed by the sea.\n\nThey worked in winds of more than 55mph to preserve the finds.\n\nSimilar markings have been previously identified at Formby in Merseyside, Happisburgh in Norfolk, and the Severn Estuary in the South West.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Neolithic monument 'where bones of Merlin the magician buried' to see demolition work"
}