The Modern Antiquarian. Stone Circles, Ancient Sites, Neolithic Monuments, Ancient Monuments, Prehistoric Sites, Megalithic MysteriesThe Modern Antiquarian

Fieldnotes by Zeb

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Hare Stone (Standing Stone / Menhir)

Earlier in the year I stayed at the Lodge in Avebury and Andy Burnham told me about this stone. I work in Harrow and Andy, who is from close by, told me about the local sites. It took me a while to find this stone and kept asking colleagues who live locally if they knew of it. finally I was pointed to a restaurant in the Harrow Weald area which used to be a pub called the Hare (probably after the stone). I am also told that the name Harrow (famous for it's public school) derives from 'Hare'. Apparently Harrow Hill itself, where the school is, was sacred and used for worship but I am not sure how my colleagues come to know this.

I have yet to find out more about this stone and it's more famous neighbour (the Weald Stone, OS ref: TQW150908) ) a mile or so down the hill. It looks like it has been broken in the past and I was wondering if it was perhaps part of an old tomb or burial mound.

I believe that further up the hill (the Harrow Weald hill, not Harrow-on-the-Hill) is an old earthworks but this is going to take longer than a lunch break to discover and so will it have to wait for another day.

If and when I find out more about this stone I will add information here.

Addington Long Barrow

Despite the fact you can see Addington Long Barrow from the road that runs straight through it the land that it lies on seems to be owned by the same woman who owns the land that the Chestnuts are on. This site would be much better apreciated if you can actually access the land it's on instead of looking at the stones through the barbed wire fence. Unfortunately the owner was just leaving when we arrived and was unable to show us around.

People reading this website before visiting the Chestnuts will see that there's information about calling ahead to arrange your visit. To get the best out of visiting this site I advise ringing the same number.

So, if you are looking at the Addington page on this site without realising there's an more exciting tomb situated just behind this one I advise calling this number before planning your visit to make sure you can get access:

Phone: 01732 840220

White Horse Stone (Standing Stone / Menhir)

Kent ... the garden of England. The car park of England more like! This longbarrow which, despite it's name, survives with more than one stone, is sandwiched between the Channel tunnel rail link and a motorway. It even has it's own petrol station attached! OK, as tombs go this place isn't the greatest surviving monument in Britain, but surely it deserves better.

Flag Fen (Ancient Village / Settlement / Misc. Earthwork)

I first came to this site in 1985 when it was little more than a tent sheltering an excavation team. It was fascinating literaly seeing another World, that had been buried for thousands of years, unearthed before your eyes. Twenty years later I revisit Flag Fen to find an established visitor centre built to preserve these Bronze Age findings and to challenge our understanding of this, and other, Bronze Age societies. Flag Fen is perhaps more exciting to visit now as more is known about the place and this, in turn, excites as you can only wonder at what is yet to be discovered.

Visually Flag Fen is not the most eye-tingling place to visit and yet you sense that this is perhaps a very important historical site and ancient place of pilgrimage. Because the remains of this allignment are made of wood they must be difficult to excavate and even harder to preserve once excavated. In a way this gives the place more of a living history feel and all the more exciting.

The surrounding area, complete with an excavated section of Roman Road built on top of the Bronze Age allignment, recreates a Bronze Age settlement with huts and sheep from breeds farmed thousands of years ago. As much as this only recreates what we understand to have beeen around in antiquity Flag Fen is all the better for educating about the Bronze Age and for paying homage.

A display shows what Flag Fen intend for the future with more excavations planned. I look forward to revisiting it in another 20 years.

Tinkinswood (Burial Chamber)

There's an avenue of buried stones leading to the side entrance of Tinkinswood burial chamber and the ground is either worked or walked to make a furrow leading up to the chamber. To the left of this avenue there's what appears to be (to me, a lay person) the buried beginnings of another burial chamber. From this position, looking straight ahead, there are some stones (behind a hedge). Again, after jumping the fence, these look, to me, to be what could be another collapsed and un-excavated chamber. There are large stones all over this site, in hedges and buried. I got the feeling that there was more to this place than initially meets the eye. I'm thinking maybe these excavation teams dig a small area (the tomb we've come to see) and leave the rest of the area be. It is, after all, a burial place. But, hey, what do I know? Maybe I'm getting stone-blind.

Interesting place all the same.

Pont-y-Pridd Rocking Stone

On parking the car nearby these stones some kids were sitting on another large stone and I asked if they knew where the Rocking Stones were. One kid, about 10, said he'd take us to them. His friend asked what the big deal was to which our guide said "they're really cool and everyone wants to take pictures of them". His friend said they're not cool and stayed on his own stone. The first kid was right, the stones are cool and I took pictures. It seems that these stones are a place to hang-out too because they are covered in carved grafitti.

Apparently all of the stone configurations in the fields around are modern and this area does seem to be where modern antiquarians go to make their circles and alignments. I even found what looked like a modern-day version of a burial chamber construction close by (albeit a tiny chamber).

New Street Stone (Standing Stone / Menhir)

The man on the gate at the Rollright Stones suggested I check out Chipping Norton car park en route to The Hoare Stone and Lyneham. This stone certainly looks similar to the weathered stones in the region.
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