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Weblog

Open Data LIDAR: Henges


Image source
The following images are obtained from the recent releases of open data LIDAR by The Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales. I've used this amazing dynamic map which has been created to use the open data. Thank you to all concerned for your time and resources!

Picture Selection
I have gone through all sites categorised as Henges on www.themodernantiquarian.com checking if a) LIDAR exists and b) they are visible to my untrained eye. This has unfortunately trimmed 70% or so of the listed henges.
All henges in Scotland and Ireland are right out. A high percentage of those left are missing LIDAR. Thornborough North and Central, Arbor Low, The Bull Ring and half of Mayburgh are some of the better known casualties. Those where LIDAR exists but we don’t see them can be categorized as small henges less than 20m wide which presumably have shallower ditches, lost to quarrying, buildings and agriculture.

Each picture is at maximum resolution, so you can download two (or twenty) and directly compare them.

Arminghall Henge — Images

03.01.16ce
<b>Arminghall Henge</b>Posted by juamei

Avebury — Images

03.01.16ce
<b>Avebury</b>Posted by juamei

Castell Bryn-Gwyn — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Castell Bryn-Gwyn</b>Posted by juamei

Castell Mawr — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Castell Mawr</b>Posted by juamei

Castilly Henge — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Castilly Henge</b>Posted by juamei

Castle Dykes, Wensleydale — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Castle Dykes, Wensleydale</b>Posted by juamei

Devil's Quoits — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Devil's Quoits</b>Posted by juamei

Durrington Walls — Images

03.01.16ce
<b>Durrington Walls</b>Posted by juamei

East Marleyknowe — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>East Marleyknowe</b>Posted by juamei

Ferrybridge Henge — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Ferrybridge Henge</b>Posted by juamei

Ffynnon Newydd Henge — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Ffynnon Newydd Henge</b>Posted by juamei

Flodden Camp — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Flodden Camp</b>Posted by juamei

Gawsworth Henge — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Gawsworth Henge</b>Posted by juamei

Great Wigborough Henge — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Great Wigborough Henge</b>Posted by juamei

Groat Haugh — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Groat Haugh</b>Posted by juamei

Gunthorpe Bridge — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Gunthorpe Bridge</b>Posted by juamei

King Arthur's Round Table — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>King Arthur's Round Table</b>Posted by juamei

Knowlton Henges — Images

05.01.16ce
<b>Knowlton Henges</b>Posted by juamei

Little Argham Henge — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Little Argham Henge</b>Posted by juamei

Little Round Table — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Little Round Table</b>Posted by juamei

Long Ivor Farm — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Long Ivor Farm</b>Posted by juamei
<b>Marden Henge (and Hatfield Barrow)</b>Posted by juamei

Maumbury Rings — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Maumbury Rings</b>Posted by juamei

Mount Pleasant — Images

03.01.16ce
<b>Mount Pleasant</b>Posted by juamei

Newton Kyme Henge (Site) — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Newton Kyme Henge (Site)</b>Posted by juamei

Nunwick Henge — Images

05.01.16ce
<b>Nunwick Henge</b>Posted by juamei

The Weddings at Stanton Drew — Images

03.01.16ce
<b>The Weddings at Stanton Drew</b>Posted by juamei

Stonehenge — Images

03.01.16ce
<b>Stonehenge</b>Posted by juamei

Thornborough Henge South — Images

05.01.16ce
<b>Thornborough Henge South</b>Posted by juamei

Weather Hill — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Weather Hill</b>Posted by juamei

Woodhenge — Images

03.01.16ce
<b>Woodhenge</b>Posted by juamei

Woolhanger Henge — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Woolhanger Henge</b>Posted by juamei

Yarnbury Henge — Images

06.01.16ce
<b>Yarnbury Henge</b>Posted by juamei

Weblog

Buxton Museum - a taster


I recently tried to occupy a hyperactive 18 month old with Buxton Museum, then got very distracted and decided to a take a few photos for here instead. The 18 month old did not approve so apologies for the slightly blurry photos towards the end :)

I've tried to lay these out in the approximate order they are in the museum which is kinda chronological within arbitrary time periods. Dating governed entirely by the labels. It does unfortunately mean finds from multi-period sites which range from iron age to palaeolithic are separate but gives a good idea of artefacts from similar ages.

Iron age:

Thirst House — Images

14.12.13ce
<b>Thirst House</b>Posted by juamei

Frank I' Th' Rocks — Images

14.12.13ce
<b>Frank I' Th' Rocks</b>Posted by juamei

Thor's Fissure Cavern — Images

14.12.13ce
<b>Thor's Fissure Cavern</b>Posted by juamei

Elderbush Cave — Images

14.12.13ce
<b>Elderbush Cave</b>Posted by juamei


Late Bronze age bronze implements:

Derbyshire — Images

15.01.14ce
<b>Derbyshire</b>Posted by juamei<b>Derbyshire</b>Posted by juamei<b>Derbyshire</b>Posted by juamei


Probable Bronze Age:

Beeston Tor Cave — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Beeston Tor Cave</b>Posted by juamei<b>Beeston Tor Cave</b>Posted by juamei

Thor's Fissure Cavern — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Thor's Fissure Cavern</b>Posted by juamei<b>Thor's Fissure Cavern</b>Posted by juamei


Bronze Age:

Ravencliffe Cave — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Ravencliffe Cave</b>Posted by juamei


Early Bronze Age:

Stoup High Edge — Images

15.12.13ce
<b>Stoup High Edge</b>Posted by juamei


Late Neolithic - Early Bronze Age:

Green Low — Images

15.12.13ce
<b>Green Low</b>Posted by juamei

Arbor Low — Images

15.12.13ce
<b>Arbor Low</b>Posted by juamei<b>Arbor Low</b>Posted by juamei

Five Wells — Images

15.12.13ce
<b>Five Wells</b>Posted by juamei

Stanton Moor — Images

24.12.13ce
<b>Stanton Moor</b>Posted by juamei

Reynard's Kitchen — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Reynard's Kitchen</b>Posted by juamei<b>Reynard's Kitchen</b>Posted by juamei

Elderbush Cave — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Elderbush Cave</b>Posted by juamei<b>Elderbush Cave</b>Posted by juamei

Thor's Fissure Cavern — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Thor's Fissure Cavern</b>Posted by juamei

Fox Hole Cave — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Fox Hole Cave</b>Posted by juamei


Late Neolithic:

Arbor Low — Images

15.12.13ce
<b>Arbor Low</b>Posted by juamei<b>Arbor Low</b>Posted by juamei


Neolithic:
(I have a few axe images for Derbyshire to upload into this section as well...)

Arbor Low — Images

15.12.13ce
<b>Arbor Low</b>Posted by juamei


Earlier Neolithic:

Lismore Fields — Images

15.12.13ce
<b>Lismore Fields</b>Posted by juamei<b>Lismore Fields</b>Posted by juamei

Fox Hole Cave — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Fox Hole Cave</b>Posted by juamei


Shown at this point are two plans of lismore fields which I have combined:




Late Mesolithic:

Lismore Fields — Images

15.12.13ce
<b>Lismore Fields</b>Posted by juamei<b>Lismore Fields</b>Posted by juamei<b>Lismore Fields</b>Posted by juamei


Mesolithic:

Wetton Mill Upper Cave — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Wetton Mill Upper Cave</b>Posted by juamei

Fox Hole Cave — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Fox Hole Cave</b>Posted by juamei


Late upper Palaeolithic:

Fox Hole Cave — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Fox Hole Cave</b>Posted by juamei<b>Fox Hole Cave</b>Posted by juamei<b>Fox Hole Cave</b>Posted by juamei

Thor's Fissure Cavern — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Thor's Fissure Cavern</b>Posted by juamei

Elderbush Cave — Images

26.01.14ce
<b>Elderbush Cave</b>Posted by juamei


Middle Palaeolithic:

Ravencliffe Cave — Images

19.01.14ce
<b>Ravencliffe Cave</b>Posted by juamei

Weblog

Exmoor virgins


"Its my first time", I whispered to no-one as we stepped foot onto exmoor for the first time, at the start of a couple of visits in a weekend also including depressing footy & the beautiful woolacombe beach.

First up the moors just south of Porlock.

Porlock Stone Circle — Fieldnotes

05.07.06ce
[visited 1/7/6] Having never visited an exmoor site before, I had some trepidation as to how much we'd be able to see in high summer. The answer is, pretty much all of it. This is a weird little thing, about the same diameter as (say) Kingston Russell but with stones that struggled to reach my knees. I liked it but couldn't help thinking, is this all it is? Now, having visited different sites on exmoor in short open grass I can apreciate how powerful this could have looked 4 thousand years ago, stones very much defining a ritual space.

Access is very good, we parked just down the road but there is parking by the gate to the field. Someone had actually parked in the field within 10 metres of the circle and seemingly then gone for a walk. Which was unsightly and spoilt the "we are in a desolate moor" effect, I think the circle was aiming for but never mind. You can find the circle about 20m to the right of the sheep fold as you look from the road.

Porlock Stone Circle — Images

05.07.06ce
<b>Porlock Stone Circle</b>Posted by juamei<b>Porlock Stone Circle</b>Posted by juamei

Porlock Stone Row — Fieldnotes

05.07.06ce
[visited 1/7/6] This was a strange little beasty and I guess the majority of stone rows about these parts look very similar. We found 6? stones in a double row pointing roughly towards the porlock circle|circle and then another stone on the same alignment about 5 metres closer to the circle. We think it was the row, but its hard to tell, the stones were barely 10cm above the ground and hidden in heather. The two rows were about a metre or so apart, with the stones in each row being about a metre or so apart as well. The row itself was located just off the brow of the hil and off the path to the right.

Access is good, its maybe a 5 minute walk up an open path to where the row is, though you may have to negotiate heather to get to it.

Porlock Stone Row — Images

05.07.06ce
<b>Porlock Stone Row</b>Posted by juamei

Almsworthy Stone Circle — Fieldnotes

05.07.06ce
[visited 1/7/6] Getting used to the underwhelming size of the stones took a bit, but having warmed to the task we quite liked this 'setting' (apart from the random blood on one of the stones). Apparently people used to think this was the remains of 2 concentric circles and now they think its the remains of two rows. Personally I have no idea. I stood at pretty much every stone we could find and surveyed the weird arrangement of stones, seemingly raised upright at random, but once in a while offering glimpses. A possible curve here, 3 in a row there. So unless a lot of stones were removed which would have made this clear, I suspect the builders were on strong drugs when they put this up.

Access is ok but probably only by foot unless you have one of those fanangally off road wheel chair things. The circle is easily accessible to a moderately fit person, its about 15 minutes walk along tracks through the heather, ferns and peat, from the nearest car parking spot.

Almsworthy Stone Circle — Images

05.07.06ce
<b>Almsworthy Stone Circle</b>Posted by juamei<b>Almsworthy Stone Circle</b>Posted by juamei<b>Almsworthy Stone Circle</b>Posted by juamei

Whit Stones — Fieldnotes

05.07.06ce
[visited 1/7/6] Its a weird thing relative perspective, in a different place & time I'd have called these smallish, but here they are massive. Two gert big chunks of rock leaning to the side, I don't know whether they were ever standing but tbh they look as if they were. Apparently they were used as medieval forrest boundary stones so I'm unsure about a prehistoric provenance, all complicated by a weird metal thing attached to one of them (see pictures) [edit] its an OS thing apparently (see misc notes) so I didn't bother putting the extreme closeup up. The views though, oh the views. The moors off to the right and the beautiful devon/somerset cliffy coast to the left.

Access is ok, but difficult for wheels as you need to go up a bank and along a narrow path in the heather. Parking is by the side of the road, or by the clifftop and a little walk.

Whit Stones — Images

05.07.06ce
<b>Whit Stones</b>Posted by juamei<b>Whit Stones</b>Posted by juamei

Next day just time for two sites, first one we didn't really aim for & then one to say goodbye to devon.

Clannon Ball Stone Setting — Fieldnotes

05.07.06ce
[visited 2/7/6] Drive towards Two Gates from the A-road, trying to find a setting next to the road, stop randomly to take bearings, realise you've gone far too far but are close to some other settings, go to those instead. And it was a real treat to see by accident. My first triangular setting, again no stone higher than my knee, but with two in short grass we really saw the power that these small settings can provide. I kept thinking if I stand in the middle and say the right incantation I'll be imbued with a mystical power, but sadly no.

Access is good, its about a 5 miunte walk from the car in a straight line or a 15 minute one walking in zigzags. Keep on the path and head down the hill, if you can still see your car, you're not far enough down.

Clannon Ball Stone Setting — Images

05.07.06ce
<b>Clannon Ball Stone Setting</b>Posted by juamei<b>Clannon Ball Stone Setting</b>Posted by juamei

We tried to find the setting across the road from Clannon Ball at this point, but were driven back by some cows. Damn you cows!!!

West Anstey Longstone — Fieldnotes

05.07.06ce
[visited 2/7/6] If ever a stone was a way marker at the top of a valley, this was it. Its in lovely location and its flat faces point north down the lush green landscape into the valley. The stone is one of the largest we saw over the weekend and possibly the nicest. Head away from the road and bear left down the hill, you should see it about 30 yards away at the head of the valley.

Access is good. About 5 minutes from the road, over open moor with low grass.

West Anstey Longstone — Images

05.07.06ce
<b>West Anstey Longstone</b>Posted by juamei<b>West Anstey Longstone</b>Posted by juamei

Well all in all, very enjoyable and we'll be back again. There is a 3m standing stone, a circle and lots and lots and lots more settings and rows to see. mmmmm.

Weblog

Xmas wanderings


Another year, another few days with the family in Dorset. I've been somewhat neglectful of wandering of late, partly brainstate, partly beer, partly HA. In particular I seem to have abandoned new sites in favour of the path well trod, revisiting my faves again and again, partly because I love em and partly to make sure they get the tlc they deserve. However, I think I'm coming out the other side and decided to celebrate this (and a new OS map) by visiting 3 hill forts I'd not seen before.

Hod Hill — Fieldnotes

30.12.05ce
[visited 27/12/05] I've been pondering on visiting this place for years, finally getting off my arse to see this and hambledon in the same day. So, firstly, this place is huge. I'm not surprised the Romans went to the additional hassle of cornering off part of this massive fort for their pad, the iron age ramparts would have required many hundreds to defend properly. Walking the ramparts in December is a chilly affair but the views either side of Hambledon are awesome, looking out down the side of Cranbourne Chase and onto the vast plain in front of you.

Access is for the reasonably fit, the car park is at the bottom of the hill then its up a steep slope to the fort.

Hambledon — Fieldnotes

30.12.05ce
[visited 27/12/05] After 20 mins eating my lunch and warming up in the car after a visit to Hod Hill, I set off for Hambledon Hill. A neolithic enclosure, long barrow AND a hill fort? Its enough to make a megarak go weak at the knees. I parked at the carpark between hambledon and hod, which meant the view to the North was saved till last, delaying gratification is always for the best I find.

So I came to the long barrow marked on the OS map and the neolithic enclosure first, the barrow is denuded but still obvious to an observant seeker. As is the enclosure, split with a fence but still followable as a line of bumps in the grass. I'm surprised the enclosure isn't further forward tbh, there is a lot of hill to the North untouched. Eager for the view I hurried on, down and then back up to the fort entrance and onto a melange of weird banks. I think I picked out the fort from the medieval lynchets, but with a Maes Knollesque cross bank, I'm not convinced the fort itself went right to the end of the hill.

And what is with the large long barrow shaped top of the hill, just to the north of the cross bank? What possible defensive function did this fulfill? Is this related to the strip lynchets? Reading the notes here on TMA, this is actually a barrow? Did the farmers fill in the defenses at the North end of the hill?

Confusedly I struggled against the biting wind to the View. And what a View. I couldn't stand and stare for long as I wanted to leave the hill without losing bits of my face due to frostbite, but on a clear day you must be able to 20miles from up here. I'm coming back in the summer, because this is one of the best views for miles about and I love my Views.

Access is a mile or so from the carpark, up a fairly steep slope and through a few gates.

After those, I had a couple of visits to old faithfuls, Nine Stones and Rempstone. More pathetic chalk swastikas at Nine Stones dampened my mood, as did a No Entry sign newly errected at Rempstone, but I pushed through with the help of scrumpy and on my way back to Bath decided to pop in to the giant breast I keep driving past.

Cley Hill — Fieldnotes

30.12.05ce
[visited 28/12/05] I almost crashed first time I drove past this on the way to Dorset, not only are the ramparts immense but there was a gert huge nipple on top of a giant breast, just to the right of my vision. Cut to 1 1/2 years later, I finally had the Warminister map and went "Oh thats Cley Hill". This is a popular place and I was fortunate to get a parking space as I headed up here for sunset.

The defenses are steep, in fact the whole hill is steep, I imagine they had all sorts of fun trying to get the carts with provisions in up to the top here. Now perhaps my brain just sees breasts, but the barrow is large and very carefully placed... As a whole the hill is still in great condition and sees a lot of use, not surprising given how prominent it must be from Warminster.

Access is up a steep hill and through a gate from the car park.

Weblog

Mendip mischief


Another chapter (previous ones unpublished :) in a good hard look at zummerzet's ancient sites, this time with a relative newbie to the area, so a couple of classics for good measure. Unfortunately due to damaging my knee walking a couple of weeks ago, not as many sites as I'd have liked.

Starting in Bath, we had the obligatory stop off at Stoney Littleton first and then onto a newbie for me.

Faulkland — Fieldnotes

11.12.04ce
[visited 28/11/04] Yet another possible trashed ancient site, I'm not that picky me, so I popped along. I counted 5 medium sized stones (4ft+) scattered on or near the village green including the two set up either side of the stocks. They certainly had the look of very weathered stones to me, covered in lichen as they were. I didn't go looking for the cottage called "The Cove", but I do think the evidence weighs in favour of this being the site of an ancient monument.

Access is excellent, you can park within 20 yards of the stock's stones, on the edge of the green.


Heading west and back to the classics with the second largest circle in britain/europe/world at Stanton Drew. Being more of a longbarrow man myself, I was pleasantly surprised that my companion prefered Stoney Littleton...

Now the true aim of my day kicked in, a few of the monuments about Priddy and the edge of the mendips.

Pool Farm Cist — Fieldnotes

11.12.04ce
[visited 28/11/04] The lure of a concrete copy onsite lured me here, but I kinda failed to find it. I think I saw it across a field, but pain & mud put me off till the spring.

For those who are tempted in the meantime: Starting on the B road, head west to east along the footpath that goes past Pool Farm. On the other side of the first field on your left is what I think is the remains of the cist.

Access is unknown but looks like being across a muddy field.

Priddy Henges (incomplete 4th circle) — Fieldnotes

11.12.04ce
[visited 28/11/04] Yet to get into the field to have a close-up look at this, but through the hedge and the gate its little more than a ripple in the grass. The barrows in the henge are semi-visible but as with the henge, clearly ploughed out. The whole site has that fuzzy look about it. Sadly there is also a hedge across the henge so you can't even see the whole thing in one go.

The field containing the henge is on a country lane with 70mph cutthroughers, so if you keep your wits about you access is good as they don't come along that often.

Ashen Hill Barrows — Fieldnotes

11.12.04ce
[visited 28/11/04] I'm loathe to include this as a seperate site from priddy nine barrows (PNB), but as it is seperate on other websites and an extra eight or nine barrows would make PNB very badly misnamed... However, these should almost certainly be counted as the same cemetary, being less than 10 minutes walk from PNB and highly inter-visible. But maybe then the idea of a barrow cemetary is fundamentally flawed when you are talking about barrows. Where do you draw the limits?

Moving on, this is a nice linear cluster, acting almost as a counterpoint to PNB who's line lies slightly further to the east. They are all in relatively good order and a fair size for todays barrows. One thing that did puzzle me were the ditches either side of the barrow line expecially as the Northern ditch had large stones within it. Whether this is a mendip thing I'm not sure, there is a solitary large barrow at 545492, with 300 metre long ditches either side of it. The ditches look newer than bronze age however...

Access is a 100 yards down a track then 200 yards across a muddy muddy field.

Priddy Nine Barrows — Fieldnotes

11.12.04ce
[visited 28/11/04] This is really only half a barrow cluster, there being another line of barrows (Ashen Hill) 1/2 a mile to the North. One thing I noticed when up here, besides the fact its cold on the edge of the mendips in late November, is you can't actually see the levels from here. In fact they are a touch oddly placed imo.

I presume the sight from the Priddy Circles to the North would have been unimpeded 3-4 thousand years ago and this lovely linear cemetary would have visible shining white on the horizon.

Access is across a few fields, but you can see these beauties from a fair way off in most directions (except North).

Deerleap Stones — Fieldnotes

11.12.04ce
[visited 28/11/04] These caught my eye a few months ago and finally I've had a chance to visit. The view was gorgeous and well worth the trip to these parts all by itself, but the site itself, hmmmm. Lets start with the dead badger lying close to the stones, not their fault I will admit, but it really didn't add to the ambience of the place, though did provide a useful comparison for the photos.

Onto the antiquity of the stones, I've seen a fair few standing stones now about these parts and they have all to a rock, been considerably more weathered than these two. They've had much more lichen and are on the whole darker. These stones stood out lighter from a distance, which is never the best of signs.

Perhaps they've come from a barrow hereabouts, the roundbarrows round here contain cists after all, or perhaps they are a more modern introduction.
--
Reading the site notes, one stone should defn be less weathered, presumably the upper stone as its lighter.

Access is via a 10 minute walk from one of two ebhor gorge car parks, along a road for a bit, then in a field.

Pen Hill — Fieldnotes

11.12.04ce
[visited 28/11/04] Apart from the Priddy henges, this is the one I've been wanting to visit longest in this area. I got the OS map of the area and then had to drive past the mendip main tv transmitter everyday, knowing there was a longbarrow I'd not visited right underneath it. Finally however I got to it, having picked our way across a sea of mud, the barrow is in its own little enclosure.

Its positioned perfectly, running along the crest of the hill and the view across the somerset levels is gorgeous. Of course most of the land you see now was underwater in the neolithic, but the distant hills were certainly occupied and the gods are always watching.

The barrow is in fairly good nick but is clearly denuded, I couldn't see any sign of stones around or on it, so this is presumably an earthen longbarrow. Unless someone has nicked them all of course. I'd recommend this site, though the huge transmitter may put some people off as it really is hard to forget about it towering above you.

Access is up a metalled track to the transmitter, then round to the left, through the gate and the barrow is in front of you enclosed in fencing.

One more thing worth looking at is the weird linear feature to the east of the barrow which you'll probably see before the barrow itself. This is the 'bank barrow' Rhiannon mentions. I'm not convinced it qualifies to be in the same league as the dorset ones. Its just not enough of a brute for that in my opinion, its too small in width and height.

It does however look similar to the weird tracks leading up to the Barrow above the long man of wilmington. I'd bet someone elses house on it being as old as the barrow.
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