A toposcope has been kindly donated by Janet Athis, the sister of the late Robert Athis whose love of walking locally inspired the very popular ‘Six Hills of Alton’ walking route.
The toposcope is located on Windmill Hill and the top of the plinth depicts radiating lines that indicate the directions of the other five hills of Alton – Ackender Hill, Brick Kiln Lane, Northanger Hill, Anstey Hill, Copt Hill & Neatham Down. The memorial was designed and made by the local stonemasons at Funeral Partners in Alton.
Janet Athis said: ‘My brother, Robert Athis, died suddenly in 2017 and so never got to see the success of The Six Hills of Alton Walk, that he had designed and investigated with help from other walkers in Alton. It was his fascination with maps, particularly those of the Ordnance Survey that give so much more information than just the route of a road or path, combined with his enjoyment of walking, that lead him to see the potential for joining the Six Hill around Alton in this amazing circular walk.
Rob loved living in Alton, enjoying its location, amenities and history as well, of course, the choice of pubs! He felt very settled in this town.
In the 1980s, Rob started investigating the Athis family tree, finding that in 400years they had all lived in villages within walking distance of each other: what he found most poignant was that none of our antecedents had had a headstone to mark they had ever existed. Strangely this absence of headstones has also happened with those Athis’ who died in the 21st century.
Rob wasn’t a remarkable man who achieved great deeds, but he was a ‘thoroughly decent chap’ – the kind of amiable person who was a pleasure to talk to if you met him in the pub. As a friend of his remarked, he would be ‘tickled pink’ to know that his contribution to the Six Hills of Alton Walk has been recognised.
Although this toposcope is not a grave headstone it does at least provide a visible record of Rob’s existence.’
I’d like to express my sincere thanks to Alton Town Council for allowing the positioning of this toposcope on Windmill Hill, to Michael Thorne for the original design, Funeral Partners for all the work in finishing the toposcope and getting it installed and of course to Rob’s friends Paul Ebbutt and Helen Dudley who were so instrumental in getting the Six Hills Walk finalised.
The Six Hills of Alton walking route leaflet can be collected from the Town Hall and an online version is available from the Walk Alton website.
