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The Rollright Stones (Stone Circle) — Images (click to view fullsize)

<b>The Rollright Stones</b>Posted by sunbird<b>The Rollright Stones</b>Posted by sunbird<b>The Rollright Stones</b>Posted by sunbird sunbird Posted by sunbird
22nd February 2012ce

The Whispering Knights (Portal Tomb) — Images

<b>The Whispering Knights</b>Posted by sunbird sunbird Posted by sunbird
22nd February 2012ce

The King Stone (Standing Stone / Menhir) — Images

<b>The King Stone</b>Posted by sunbird sunbird Posted by sunbird
22nd February 2012ce

Ashdown Park Sarsens (Natural Rock Feature) — Fieldnotes

Visited 21/2/2012

Out walking - started on the Ridgeway from the bridleway opposite the downland path to the village of Ashbury. Walking to Ashdown, I hadn't made the connection between the two places before. A gentle walk through Hayley Wood and Middle Wood with the small Iron Age hillfort of Alfred's Castle visible through the leafless trees.

The path through the woods leads directly down to Ashdown House which is currently undergoing renovation and not visible from behind protective sheeting and scaffolding. The small carpark with a National Trust information board is next to the sarsen drift field which, although lacking the other worldly quality of Fyfield Down and Lockeridge, still has a wonderful atmosphere all of its own. It lies at the foot of Weathercock Hill which today had a herd of deer grazing peacefully. Walking through the sarsen drift field it seemed some of the stones were not a random scatter but arranged in a stone row.

Up Weathercock Hill, we appeared to be shadowing the herd of deer for much of our walk. A red kite glided overhead. Further along we encountered a much smaller herd of stags. Back to the Ridgeway with a fabulous view of Uffington Castle which, from this perspective, seems to be on a promontory much like Barbury.

The rest of the walk was about a mile along the Ridgeway taking in Waylands Smithy. Always, always an uplifting experience.
tjj Posted by tjj
21st February 2012ce

Ashdown Park Sarsens (Natural Rock Feature) — Images

<b>Ashdown Park Sarsens</b>Posted by tjj<b>Ashdown Park Sarsens</b>Posted by tjj tjj Posted by tjj
21st February 2012ce

Dorcester Neolithic Complex (Ancient Temple) — Images

<b>Dorcester Neolithic Complex</b>Posted by Chance Chance Posted by Chance
5th February 2012ce

Dorcester - Site VIII — Miscellaneous

Details of site on Pastscape

A long subrectangular enclosure of Earlier Neolithic date, part of a complex of monuments at Dorchester on Thames. The site was excavated in the late 1940s in advance of gravel extraction. The enclosure is cut by the Dorchester cursus (SU 59 NE 5, which it pre-dates, but whose northwest-southeast alignment it shares. The enclosure may have featured an internal bank. Three causeways were evident - one midway along its southern side, one towards the end of the northern side, near the northeast corner, and the third in the middle of the short southeast side. This last was later bisected by the southern ditch of the cursus. Two narrow parallel ditches cut across the site on a different alignment. They post-date the cursus. Finds were few - part of a human jaw was found within the site, prompting suggestions that it may have been a mortuary enclosure. The upper ditch fills included Peterborough Ware sherds and some flint implements. The jaw was not within an observed feature, but was found at surface level following mechanical cutting.
"Site VIII" (SU571955) excav. 1948 when threatened by gravel-digging. A sub-rectangular enclosure 210' long by 70' wide defined by a ditch with internal bank. Small gaps at NE corner & in the centre of the W. side and a larger gap in the S. end. Traversed longitudinally by the west ditch of the Cursus, which was proved to be later, & which passes through the S. gap & is broken itself just to the South. Much Ebbsfleet or Peterborough pottery in Cursus ditch & upper filling of enclosure ditch. Prob. a ritual structure & may be connected with a type of Wessex Long Barrow. [SU 5702 9565: D.T.]. (1)
[Sited to SU 57009570]. (2)
Inf. as T.I. Pottery stated to be Ebbsfleet. F.A.H. . (3)

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SOURCE TEXT
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(1) Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society Oxoniensia 13, 1948 Page(s)66
(2) Field Investigators Comments F1 FKB 09-SEP-52
(2a) by R J C Atkinson, C M Piggott and N K Sandars 1951 Excavations at Dorchester, Oxon: first report. Sites I, II, IV, V and VI, with a chapter on henge monuments
(3) Field Investigators Comments F2 FKB 09-SEP-52
(3b) by R J C Atkinson, C M Piggott and N K Sandars 1951 Excavations at Dorchester, Oxon: first report. Sites I, II, IV, V and VI, with a chapter on henge monuments
(4) Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society - Whittle, A et al. Excavations in the Neolithic and Bronze Age Complex at Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, 1947-1952 and 1981. 58, 1992 Page(s)143-201
Chance Posted by Chance
5th February 2012ce
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