The Bridestones (Commondale)

Nearest town:
Guisborough (5km W)
OS reference:
NZ645121
OS sheet:
94
Latitude:
54° 29' 59.55 N
Longitude:
1° 0' 14.14 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of The Bridestones (Commondale) (Stone Row / Alignment) by thesweetcheat

With Hob on the Hill round barrow on the crest to the right.

Image credit: A. Brookes (29.7.2024)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 30, 2025
Image of The Bridestones (Commondale) (Stone Row / Alignment) by thesweetcheat

Looking south over North Ings Slack; Commondale Moor rises on the right.

Image credit: A. Brookes (29.7.2024)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Jul 30, 2025

Articles

The Bridestones (Commondale)

fitzcoraldo
fitzcoraldo Jan 21, 2004

There are many ways to access this wonderful site. My favoutite is from Commondale along the old ‘Monk’s trod’ path. Once you pass through the gate at the bottom of the Whitely Beck valley you will notice a large earthwork running along the eastern side of the valley, this is Park Pale, the boundary of a medieval deer park. As you gradually walk up the valley, passing the war memorial to two fallen Grenadiers from WWI, you will notice that the skyline ahead is dotted with stones. These are the Bridestones.
The earthwork starts at the edge of the river valley and runs roughly north-south for about 1 km. Over this distance I counted 55 individual stones all free standing, all very weathered, all ancient. There are other stones scattered about and a cursory glance in the numerous grouse butts shows where other stones have been used.
One of the stones close to the ancient Guisborough road has been marked with a cross and a bench mark.
As you move away from the river valley, the earthwork becomes more defined until it finally peters-out on the moor top 15 metres west of the most northerly barrow.

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