RESIDENTS of Linton are furious that Herefordshire Council has renegaded on its promise to preserve and donate the dressed mediaeval stone belonging to the ancient monument, known as the Pound, after its demolition, and given to the village.

The village has effectively been left with a pile of rubble from the structure’s foundations with all trace of all the valuable dressed granite stone being ‘lost’ and not available to create a memorial garden on the footprint of the Pound, believed to have originally been a lookout tower.

Earlier this year Herefordshire Council posted notices of its intent to demolish the Pound due to health and safety issues.

Over 70 residents signed a petition addressed to the authority requesting additional time be granted to conduct an archaeological survey to establish if the structure could be repaired economically.

However, the residents bowed to pressure from Herefordshire Council and reluctantly agreed to the Pound’s demolition when it assured the residents that a sensitive demolition would be carried out and the removal of the dressed building stone to be conveyed to an adjoining farmer’s field for later use as a memorial garden on the site of The Pound.

Local MP Jesse Norman said: "I must say I am astonished at this news. As I understand it, Herefordshire Council officers gave a clear undertaking that the stone from the demolition of the Linton Pound would be retained and made available to the village.

"I have written to the council's chief executive Paul Walker to ask who was responsible, what measures his officers took to preserve the stone as promised, and what they have

done and are doing to recover it."

Roger Davies chairman of the Linton and District History Society said that the whole scenario was a tragedy, and added: “This was Linton’s second oldest building after the church, but we have no understanding of the origins of the old Linton Pound.

“No protection was afforded to the old Pound, despite its listing by Herefordshire Council as a historic monument.”

The Pound sat at the junction of the old Newent-Ross road and the Iron Age trackway between Hereford and Mitcheldean.

It was originally built on top of a hill, to a height of over 25 feet, as the extensive views over the surrounding countryside made the site strategically very important. It also sat on the border between Mercia and Wales.

“While the structure was used in the latter years as a pound, but most agree that this was not its original purpose. Herefordshire Council state that pounds are ‘two a penny’ but no other examples looked like the old Linton Pound,” Mr Davies added.

“But because of the way the Pound was demolished we will now never have any knowledge of its phases of construction.

“For a historic monument this is a tragedy, which could so easily have been avoided. We have also now lost all the building stone.

“This is without doubt a case of gross maladministration. It is now essential that lessons be learned.

“Alas, it is obviously too late for the Linton Pound but we cannot afford to lose Herefordshire’s heritage simply through a failure to understand what is at risk.”

A spokesperson for Herefordshire Council said: “We understand the disappointment felt by residents following the removal of the Linton Pound.

“While the structure was not listed or protected as an ancient monument, we recognise its significance as a cherished part of the community’s local heritage and we appreciate the efforts of the local historical society, who explored options to secure and preserve the site.

“Unfortunately, the Pound had become structurally unsafe and posed a serious risk to public safety, particularly to children who play in the area.

“During its removal it was found that the structure contained some hazardous materials such as rusty steel and broken glass, and these sections were removed from the site for safety.

“The remaining stone was placed in a nearby field as agreed. We hope this will offer an opportunity for the community to re-use the left-over stone to commemorate the site in a meaningful and safe way.”

A claim of gross maladministration has been lodged on the local authority by Linton Parish and cites that communications went unanswered, including a petition letter signed by over 70 residents requesting that the Pound should be restored and any demolition plans cancelled.

Mr Davies concluded: “We consider this to be the unwarranted total destruction of the old Linton Pound, a listed historic monument.

“But a series of key broken promises made originally to placate and mitigate our many concerns, has left us in this position.

“It would appear that the old pound has been sacrificed without thought for its potential historic significance.”