Three Shire Stones (Reconstruction) Burial Chamber View all content for Three Shire Stones (Reconstruction)

This is a reconstruction of a burial chamber, apparently done in 1736. It's the spot where the historic boundaries of Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire meet - perhaps those boundaries really were centred on whatever these stones used to be: presumably a longbarrow. Now there are 3 blocks of limestone supporting a huge (well, relatively) capstone, but overall the feeling is small and cosy. The monument sits right next to the road - the roman Fosse Way - but it was only on my third drive-by that I actually spotted the thing. It sits nestled back, next to a wall. I sat underneath it for ages, it's very quiet and protective feeling - perhaps the only original stones are the ones underneath that you can sit on. As usual at such places there was litter everywhere - this despite it being apparently miles out, and not all of it could have blown in from the road. Rather fortunately some of the rubbish was plastic bags, so I collected two whole bagfuls and took them back to the car. People eh. It is bound to be the haunt of pissed teenagers but I wonder what they think they're sitting under. It's a strange spot because it doesn't feel quite authentic and you can't really tell whether anything is original or not. But it's different.

Posted by Rhiannon 24th May 2002ce Edited 4th May 2005ce

Comments (0)
You must be logged in to add a comment