Latest Fieldnotes

I visited the Stone again on Saturday. The ex Bank of China is now virtually derelict – although with a sign saying “To Let’. The ground floor is presently – and hopefully, temporarily – occupied by a cut-price sports shoe retailer – so presumably in the week it is possible to go in and see the side of the stone not visible from the street.

It truly is a bizarre, sad – and telling – sight to see one of London’s only significant megalithic remains caged in an ugly box under a giant NIKE sign....

The planning application for the redevelopment of the site and the Stone’s relocation has been approved although there is no news of any pending activity.

What also struck me this time is that the mooted original site of the Stone – outside the entrance to Cannon Street Station – would have placed it on the banks of the hidden river Walbrook – a waterway also sacred to the Romans (witness the now also relocated Temple of Mithras).

The vicissitudes of highway management and commerce will never see the remaining fragment restored to its original supposed location so the best that can be hoped for now is that it is removed from its present dismal setting and properly housed in the Museum of London.

The strong Energy line, lining up with the lengh of the barrow actually lines up with the top of the woods near the style on the path up from the car park near the sign pointing up the hill. I know of one internet mention of “pins and needles at the top of the woods, near the style”. It’s just the energy line, not anything sinister.

Following the Ridgeway path near to Wendover and Chequers (yes the Primeminister’s pad) I found this lump of chalk. Anyone else going up there finds a very good viewing point. But I found this lump of chalk very interesting. There is a strong energy line going through the center of the two lumps, another at right angles and another leading from the nearby gate to the center.
Standing in the middle gives a wicked buzz, if you are that way inclined. I hope they don’t make that bit of plastic fencing a perminant feature.

It doesn’t seem likely that the stones still standing in Bushey Norwood on Claverton Down were part of the 18th Century racecourse. The map reproduced in the ‘University of Bath Site History’ by Patrick Crooke(Publ. by Bath University) places the racecourse under the University buildings about 400metres west of the stones.

Anyone that ends up here, be prepared for a petting zoo, this slightly ruins the ambience!

The tipp inventory mentions this as being part of a possible stone-circle. I had a good look but as the tipp inventory suggests im afraid both standing stone and circle are gone.
Basically this site is in someones front garden and it seems to be just a mound of field clearance with no stones visible.
Another one bites the dust.

This is a very nicely preserved tomb and its big as the below description suggests at least 7m long. It runs east-west and has views to the Mahurslieve to the south and Keeper Hill to the north-west.
I met the guy that owns the house on the way in the track (on the OS map) and he warned me about the disappearing lake Lough Beg. Seems that it is grown over but still marshy below so best keep to the highland as you walk to the tomb. This lake is the source of the Mulkear river which is a great salmon fishing river so its worrying if it is drying up.
Keeping to the highland also allows you to view the tomb from way off and its actually a very easy one to find. Its about a 2km walk from the house at the beginning of the lane. There were tracks leading the tomb so it looks like it has been visited recently.
Also the North Tipp Inventory mentions a standing stone and a barrow to the south-west, I only gave a quick look but couldnt see anything so if anyone heads this way keep an eye out. The standing stone is over a 1m high.

Taken from the North Tipp Archaeological Inventory

Wedge Tomb
Situated at the western side of Knockteige Hill and in the basin of the Mulkear River. The tomb consists of a double-walled gallery, at least 7m long and 1.2m in maximum width, divided by a septal-stone, into a portico at the WSW and a main chamber some 5m long. The gallery sides decrease in height towards the E. Forward of the septal stone there are a number of stones. Among them are two outer-wall stones to the S and one to the N. Outside the last are two stones which seem to represent a doubling of the outer-wall. Two stones in the N and one to the S link the outer-walling to the septal-stone. These three stones could represent the sides of the portico or may be a doubling of its sides. There are three set stones of main chamber is represented by five orthostats and a prostate stone adjoining the easternmost of these may be a fallen example. The doubling along this side of the gallery is represented by six stones. The N side of the main chamber consists of six orthostats forming an irregular line. Almost 1m beyond the eastern end of the line there is another orthostat This could be a buttress-stone for a missing backstone or a continuation of the gallery wall. The doubling of the N wall of the gallery is represented by five stones. (De Valera and Ó Nualláin 1982, 82-3, No. 4)

This site is a stone semi circle butting up against a fissured limestone scarp. It is one of several in the immediate area.
The scarp is approx 3 metres in height and the fissures are up to about a metre wide and extend back into the scarp several metres. Flint finds have come from around the entrances to these fissures.

It is easy to speculate about the usefulness of these semi-natural enclosures as shelter for both livestock and man.

The easiest way to find these enclosures is to park at the T junction NE of sunbiggin tarn , follow the rough track up to the limestone and then turn left and follow the bottom of the scarp. There are at least three of these enclosures before you get to the stone wall.

Highcliff Nab is a spectaular rock outcrop on the northern edge of the North York Moors escarpement. The Nab overlooks Guisborough with views to Middlesbrough in the west, and the coast and East Cleveland in the north and east. To the south of the Nab is the vast expanse of the North York Moors. The views from the Nab have been drawing visitors to the area since at least the time of Camden.
In 1995 reports of flints being found on the eroded edges of the Cleveland Way path led to a limited excavation of the Nab. The excavators found evidence of major Mesolithic activity on the cliff top. They also failed to find any significant domestic evidence and concluded that the Nab was probably a temporary occupation site associated with hunting.
The Nab is fairly easy to access. A wide forestry road runs from Hutton Village to the foot of the Nab via Bold Venture Gill. People with mobility difficulties may find the climb up to the Nab itself difficult.
As I’ve already mentioned, the views from the Nab are beautiful, especially on a clear day. What struck me was how well these views illustrate the occupancy of the higher ground during prehistoric times. Prehistoric sites such as Eston Nab, Upleatham and Mount Pleasant are all visible from the Nab. Bearing in mind that pollen analysis has shown that there was probably open woodland on the uplands but the lowlands would have been a dense canopy of woodland, these prehistoric sites would have appeared almost like islands in the ancient forests.
If you’re in the area I would definitely recommend a walk up to Highcliff Nab, it will only take up two hours of your day. If you want to get a feel for how the landscape area may have looked to the Mesolithic folk then it’s well worth the effort.

For added interest, the walk from Hutton Village takes you through a RIGS area, an area of special geological importance where you can see outcrops of ironstone, alum and jet formations.

With half a day to kill I decided to check out a few local sites. My first stop was Hanging Stone.
Probably the easiest way to access the stone is to walk up through the woods from Hutton Village.
The footpath is pretty good in most parts but there are some fairly swampy patches and a number of steep banks to climb.
Hanging stone is a natural outcrop at the most northerly point of a narrow 2km long ridge that runs roughly north-south from Hutton Moor.
The narrow horizontal outcrop jutts out of the hillside giving it an alter-like appearance. At first glance the rock appears to be man-made, this is due to the ‘building block-sized’ horizontal bedding of the outcrop.
What makes the ridge and Hanging Stone significant is that the people of the Bronze Age placed at least 4 barrows along this short, narrow ridge. To me this would imply that the shape, nature and views from the Hanging Stone would not have been lost on the Bronze Age and possibly earlier folk. In my wildest flights of fancy I can see the easily accessible flat top of the hanging stone being used as an excarnation platform or the base for a pyre, but like I say, a flight of fancy.

One point of interest is that there is a rock just behing the main outcrop which contains and almost perfectly circular, shallow 5 inch basin. The edges and sides of this basin are extremely smooth leading me to conclude that is is probably natural or has been carved by a skilled, post- prehistoric, mason.

Fantastic site, picture postcard views and a moving air of peace. My visit was all too brief on a stifling summer Saturday in 2005. If only young lovers had decided to take their contraceptives home. I have also heard reports of addicts leaving their needles here too so please be careful!

Not the easiest place to find, going downhill park up in the small layby on the right and walk through the gate and beyond the trees, taking care not to stumble (d’oh!) over some tufty grass. Despite its location Tinkinswood seems popular with walkers and those who just want to chill for a while.

Whilst the overhead powerlines and unflattering brick support pillar don’t let you forget the 20th century, there is enough peace in this part of the world, and enough presence in the enormous capstone to kick back and engross yourself in the experience.

Take out life insurance before visiting. The A4 is treacherous at the best of times, the track towards the dolmen can be sodden with deep puddles (even during the height of summer as my visit was) and if they don’t get you the miserable farm workers will. Okay, I had crossed a field of crops, albeit down the tramlines.

My overall sense of the dolmen was one of power. It looks as if it could crash down on the visitor; its size and bulk left me in awe of those who constructed the barrow that once stood there.

My favourite place in Britain ... through the figure decorated gate, across the bog and up to the most atmospheric stone circle I have encountered. Wet, cold and rough around the edges, but from the right angle stunningly beautiful and jaggedly perfect. I need to post my photographs of the place.

A year on I’m still bitterly disappointed that time didn’t allow a return trip at night to sit under the moon within the circle. The goat skeleton near by suggested that this is a place where few visitors tread apart from in the summer.

It was a strange pleasure to look across to the main Calanais stones and how the visitors had started to explore it in numbers. They’re much less interested in Calanais III and I hope it stays that way.

Living in the south west of England, Calanais represented the one pilgrimage I felt desperate to make ... so we did it for our honeymoon. It’s a long trip by car to Ullapool then across to Stornoway on the ferry. This was in April 2005 and on the calm, quiet but chilly afternoon of our visit we were the only two visitors at the time. A fantastically powerful setting, but at the same time there was an air of touristy Avebury or Stonehenge about it. Not a criticism, just that I find my favourite places off the beaten track. I’ve fallen in love with Calanais and Lewis as a whole. I can’t wait to go back.

Although it’s very close to home it was only yesterday that I finally got to visit Cold Slad, bizarrely enough with kids on a trip from the school at which I work. The earthworks left me underwhelmed but the sense of place is fantastic with views as far as the Black Mountains.

Yesterday I walked round Silbury Hill following the line of the River Kennet, and crossed the road to seek out the Swallowhead Springs.
Water only rises on these chalk downs in the winter at the beginning of the new year. Once it does, the water plants in the river stretch out their green tresses and swirl gently in the small currents and the quiet sounds of water flowing and moving over stones can be heard. The Kennet is sourced from a number of chalk streams, one from the Beckhampton Pond, but the common understanding is that it flows from the Swallowhead springs, “which emerges from a small wall of chalk at a corner of the meadow, this joins the stream flowing south from Avebury, past Silbury Hill and under the A4. The joined streams then turn east. Half a mile downstream from the Swallowhead springs, another spring feeds into the Kennet at times from the south end of Waden Hill.”
So this small area of place is linked by small streams and perhaps the patterning of its early prehistoric beginning can partly be understood by its relationship to water.

quote taken from this linkhttps://www.riverkennet.org/riverkennet.htm

These stones are utterly fantastic. Six stones – plus numerous suspicious-looking lumps and bumps – snake their way up over the moor here. The smallest stone is 5 foot something, but Dunruchan A, the largest, is a whopping 11ft 4in, and totally dominates the skyline.

From each stone, at least one other can be seen.

Dunruchan D and E, the two highest up stones, would appear to be a typical Perthshire pair comprising one pointy slab-like stone and a chunkier, round-topped partner.

It’s easy to see why Dundurn was chosen as the site of a fort, as it rises steeply from the flat ground around it making it easy to defend. The slopes are littered with stones that are from the fort’s walls, which have now tumbled from their original position on the flat summit.

The views from the top are stunning, and show further it’s strategic importance, offering a sweeping vista of the wide flood plain of the River Earn below, and covering several major mountain passes.

I couldn’t find the stone that’s supposed to still lie here, but the site was very overgrown with bushes and trees. A large part of the mound is made up of bedrock just below the surface, so how likely it is a stone circle once stood here I’m not sure. However, it does have the right feel to it, whatever that means, and with it’s proximity to the churches it certainly ticks a lot of boxes. I didn’t have a chance to get a good look at the whole of the mound, so it’s possible that there are sections of it with a thick enough layer of earth to support standing stones.

Rainsborough Camp is the remains of an Iron Age hill fort, located approximately 1/2 mile south of Charlton, on the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire.

It is said to have been constructed between the 4th and 6th Century BC. Although longbarrows around the site date to 3000 BC (Source: Aynho today website).

Around 150 BC, the camp was burnt to the ground and remained unnoccupied until around AD 250 when Romans settled there as an un-fortified camp.

The site is situated on the brow of a hill and it’s size is impressive. Its earthworks measure over 8 feet deep in some places and up to 15 feet high. It is entirely surrounded by a shallow ditch. Inside, the camp could easily hold three football pitches – the surface area is roughly six acres.

A brook runs down the valley towards Kings Sutton at the bottom of the hill. There are two entrances, to the east and west, although the east facing entrance is much larger.

The remains of long barrows can still be identified to the north and east of the camp, although farming has destroyed much of them.

The Neolithic pit defined enclosure at Douglasmuir seems to have had some interesting maths associated with the pits . I don’t know of anything else like this and would normally think of it is down to a few coincidences but that looks unlikely .Any statisticians care to comment ?
The septum has 15 a tenth of the total the cross members have 14 15 &16 , the east side is exactly double the scale of the adjacent end 28 pits : 14 pits & 34m : 17m the west side is double the septal division .The west side of the Northern half is twice the septal division 15 pits :30 pits..Starting from the South end of 14 pits , the first half is completed with the addition of 68 pits and precisely the same number has been employed to complete the second.

The best way to access this cairn is to follow the keepers track from the Westerdale road NZ645084.
The cairn has been robbed of much of its stone but some of the basic structure remains including 2/3rds of the kerb.
In 1953 Paul Ashbee excavated a similar sized cairn 3km to the north on the other side of the Leven valley and found a rock cut pit surrounded by irregular boulders set in a rectangle “with lozenge shaped stelae at opposing corners.”

GPS stuff NZ 63685 08347

Like Sunbiggin Cairn, this is situated in a stunning position. Fabulous views to west, south and east.
The Howgills are particularly beautiful from up here.
A marvellous place to be buried.

I approached it the long way round, over the limestone pavement from the T junction near sunbiggin tarn. This is a fabulous walk and well worth it for the views and the wildlife (on this occasion hawks and a big fox who didnt seem too bothered by my presence) plus it gives the chance to check out the bields and other various enclosures in the lousy brow area.

The quick and easy route is from Sunbiggin Farm.

The cist here was excavated in the 19th century, revealing 3 burials, ox and goat bones, deer antler and a “stone artefact”.

This site , found last summer , produced pretty dull pics . So a visit today in classic RA pic weather , i.e. brilliant oblique sun was needed . There are three separate groups of marked rocks and one contentious one . The dodgy one is underside of an overhanging rock and has what may be cup marks but they could be entirely natural .