Images
What a brilliant stone this is.
From the road.
Taken 20th June 2003: Not the most exciting photo I’ve ever taken, this shot shows where the sign that Julian removed was fixed. Not so much rust visible now, just holes and the remains of some rawl plugs. This is the south east face of the stone.
Taken 20th June 2003: The top of the stone from the south west.
Taken 20th June 2003: Viewed from the south east, this is the side of the stone with the damage on it from the sign.
Taken 20th June 2003: Looking south, with the strange 1960s reception building behind the stone.
Another from Today 11 May 2003.
The Growing Stone on 11th May 2003.
Articles
Visited 5.6.10.
This is a cracking stone, easy to spot amongst the trees right next to the main road into Crickhowell (lovely place to look around). There is a large parking area opposite if you want to get closer. Be careful crossing this road as it’s a busy one.
The MOD signs are now gone, and just the metal uprights survive of the enclosing box, as of 27/08/06. You still have to enter through a not very obstructive gate, though much less forbidding than previously.
The growing stone is a very tall, slender menhir, standing sentinel by the roadside about 12 feet high and provides a certain surprising quirkiness at the entrance of a military training establishment. It didn’t need medals or stripes or pips to give it authority.
Visited 20th June 2003: I found the stone more tricky to find than I’d expected. From the A40 it was shielded by trees, and some patchy map reading on my part meant we over-shot the turning. There’s parking next to the old training camp reception building (a strange 1960s construction) and from here you can hop over the service road to the stone. There were a couple of army vehicles way off at the end of the avenue, behind a typical MOD fence, but it does look like this camp is closed.
The Growing Stone (aka the Cwrt y Gollen Monolith) is surrounded by cobbles, and the remains of a wooden rail are still partially intact on one side of it. Now it looks a bit shabby, but I’d imagine the MOD were very pleased with it when the work was done (nice and orderly). In the Modern Antiquarian book Julian describes removing a rusty sign from the stone, and I could make out the place where this used to be fixed.
The monolith is made from a very large piece of sandstone (apparently 4.17 metres high) and has the strangest strata running along it’s length. You can see why people thought it had popped out of the ground. As with Gwernvale, the A40 intrudes on the site, but at least the trees give it some degree of separation from the traffic.
OS 161 SO 232168
From Crickhowell, take A40 towards Abergavenny. 1.4 miles from town centre. Clearly visible from road.
It would appear that Cwrt y Gollen Army Cadet camp is now closed.
Park at the now closed entrance to the camp: large white metal gates, with a white fence on either side, behind the gate is the guard house, on the opposite side of the camp drive is the Growing Stone.
Since Julian’s visit, the four-sided fencing around the stone has mostly been removed (the plaque hasn’t been re-attached to the stone either).
The area now has a feeling of dereliction (the empty guard house is ‘to let’) giving a sensation that the Growing Stone abides whilst the usage of the land around it is about to change once more.
An impressive stone, over 4m high, imagine a thickened blade with a blunted tip. Cadw guide for the area states that it is made of red sandstone.
The Growing Stone..what a welcome antidote.
For 3 days previous I had been courtesy of my loved cousin and his Mrs their guest at the Network Q Rally. Big powerful motors tearing across the mountains and big fat petrol heads covering the hill with unfeasable amounts of shit, cans, bottles, take away cartons, burger wrappers. I needed to see this cos if I hadn’t I would not have believed how grossly f****d up the majority of us are. An education I badly had to endure.
Night 3 we run away, we camp on the hill away from the tip and the arrogance and sleep good in the wood. Day 4 we head out across the hills and visit The Growing Stone.
Now then what do we anticipate ?
MOD, fences, exclusion, pollution all that crap. a good stone spoiled?
But ah ha brill, dance for joy cos none of that, sure there is a dilapidated fence, the military grounds and the road but....
This stone stood out and rendered all that to invisibility.
Now there is power..
A bad world cured.
You can only see this stone as a sentinal on the valley floor, alone, mist wreathed a tribute to the crop, and instead of standing anachronistic a stranger in a strange land it dissolved everything, transporting me back before we went so badly wrong. I cannot even remember what it looked like now but it saved me then.
There is something here that discards its modern and unfortunate circumstances and imposes its own time.
Quite remarkable.
Put it on your list.
We stopped by here just before dusk. Driving down from Crickhowell, it’s in the gate area of an abandoned army base on your left hand side.
There’s a big sign saying “MOD Property: No Tresspassing, No Photography”.
Walk past this, and it’s on the left hand side of the driveway, about 15 meters down. It’s not really visible from the road, as it looks a bit like a tree stump from a distance.
Get a bit closer, and a magnificent shard of rock is bursting out of the ground, straining at the earth and your perceptions of normality.
Sites within 20km of The Growing Stone
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Llangenny
photo 4 description 4 -
Crug-y-Gaer
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Llangenny Camp
photo 7 description 2 -
Coed Ynys Faen
photo 7 description 3 -
Standard Street
photo 7 description 2 -
Garn Goch (Llangatwg)
photo 14 description 5 -
Ogof Darren Cilau cave
description 1 -
Waun Cryn
description 1 -
Gwernvale
photo 29 forum 1 description 9 link 1 -
Mynydd Pen-y-Fal
photo 37 description 3 -
Bedd y Gwr Hir
description 2 -
Twr Pen-cyrn Circle
photo 4 description 2 -
Twr Pen-cyrn cairns
photo 23 description 5 -
Crug Hywel Camp
photo 41 description 3 -
Coed Pentwyn
description 1 -
Eglwys Faen
photo 6 description 3 -
Penffawyddog
description 1 -
Mynydd Pen-cyrn
photo 10 description 5 -
Darren (Crickhowell)
photo 6 description 1 -
Mynydd Llangatwg
photo 5 forum 1 description 1 -
Carreg Maen Taro
photo 9 description 5 -
The Fish Stone
photo 13 forum 2 description 6 -
Pen Cerrig-Calch
photo 34 description 1 -
Carn Blorenge
photo 33 description 3 -
Carreg Waun Llech
photo 14 description 3 -
Pen Gloch-y-pibwr
photo 12 description 1 -
Ffynnon Ishow
photo 1 description 2 -
Disgwylfa
photo 8 description 2 -
Cwalca Cairnfield
photo 7 description 3 -
The Tretower Stone
photo 10 description 2 -
Carn-y-Defaid
photo 25 description 4 -
Pen Allt-Mawr
photo 29 description 1 -
Twyn y Gaer (Crucorney)
photo 22 description 3 link 1 -
Llangynidr Stone
photo 7 description 2 -
Nant yr Ychen
photo 1 description 2 -
Pen Twyn Glas, Black Mountains
photo 6 description 2 -
Mynydd Carn-y-cefn
photo 9 description 2 -
Coed y Gaer
photo 9 description 2 link 1 -
Pen Tir
photo 5 description 1 -
Ysgyryd Fawr
photo 29 description 7 link 1 -
Bwlch Standing Stone
photo 9 description 2 -
Bwlch Cairn
photo 8 description 3 -
Garn Wen (Crucorney)
photo 27 description 2 -
Carreg Wen Fawr Y Rugos
photo 14 description 4 -
Pant Llwyd
photo 14 description 3 -
Ffynnon Las I
photo 2 description 1 -
Garn Caws
photo 14 description 3 -
Pen-yr-Heol Las
photo 6 description 1 -
Cefn Moel
photo 3 description 1 -
Twyn Bryn March
description 1 -
Pen-Twyn Camp (Crucorney)
photo 22 description 2 -
Three Springs, Hatterrall Hill
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Maen Llwyd (Twyn Du)
photo 25 description 4 -
Hatterrall Hill
photo 29 description 2 -
Graig-ddu, Black Mountains
photo 24 description 3 link 1 -
Blaen-y-Cwm Uchaf
photo 3 description 1 -
Garn Fawr (Llangynidr)
photo 16 description 2 -
Maen Llwyd (Llanddewi Skirrid)
description 1 -
Cwm Bwchel, Black Mountains
photo 22 description 3 -
Nant-y-Wern
description 1 -
Blaneau-draw
photo 10 description 1 -
Mynydd Llangorse
photo 8 description 1 -
Mynydd Troed cairn
photo 14 description 2 -
Cwm Shelkin
photo 8 description 1 -
Mynydd Llysiau, Black Mountains
photo 3 description 1 -
Y Domen Fawr
photo 7 description 2 -
Pen y Gadair Fawr
photo 25 description 3 -
Caeau Enclosure, Cockit Hill
photo 3 description 1 -
Rhiw Arw
photo 13 description 1 -
Cefn Man Moel
description 1 -
Tump Wood Camp
photo 14 description 1 -
Pen Trumau, Black Mountains
photo 20 -
Mynydd Llangorse promontory fort
photo 20 description 2 -
Ty Isaf
photo 7 forum 1 description 3 link 1 -
Allt yr Esgair
photo 18 description 1 -
Longtown Stone Circle
description 1 -
Gilestone
description 3 -
Wiral Cairn, Black Mountains
photo 22 description 1 -
Loxidge Tump, Black Mountains
photo 10 description 2 -
Mynydd Troed
photo 16 description 4 -
Twyn Ceiliog
photo 10 description 2 link 1 -
Twyn Yr Hyddod
description 1 -
Black Darren
photo 25 description 2 -
Walterstone Camp
photo 1 description 2 -
Castell Dinas
photo 33 description 3 -
Nant Tarthwynni
photo 12 description 2 -
Bwlch Bach a’r Grib
photo 20 description 2 -
Garn Felen
photo 4 description 2 -
Ty-Canol
description 2 -
Cefn yr Ystrad
photo 24 description 5 -
Odyn-fach
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Mynydd Bychan
photo 19 description 3 -
Nant Bwch
photo 2 forum 1 description 1 -
Llanveynoe Crucifix Stone
description 1 -
Twynau Gwynion
photo 12 link 1 -
Y Das
photo 12 description 3 -
Ty Illtyd
photo 12 description 8 link 1 -
Coed y Bwnydd
description 2 -
Carn Pica
photo 13 forum 2 description 2 -
Wern Frank Wood
photo 12 description 1 -
Cefn y Brithdir
photo 12 description 1 -
Penyrwrlodd
photo 19 description 3 link 1 -
Abercriban
photo 12 description 2 -
Llanhamlach
photo 2 description 3 -
Talgarth Camp
photo 1 -
Fochriw
photo 10 forum 1 description 3 -
Camp Hill
description 1 -
Carn y Bugail
photo 11 description 2 -
Gelligaer Common Ring Cairn 1
description 2 -
Gelligaer Stone
photo 10 description 5 link 1 -
Pontsticill ring cairn
photo 9 description 1 -
Ffostyll
photo 33 forum 1 description 4 -
Gelligaer Common Ring Cairn 2
description 1 -
Gelligaer Common Cairns
photo 5 description 1 -
Twyn-Llechfaen
photo 1 description 1 -
Campswood Hill
description 2 -
Ffos-y-frân
photo 1 description 1 -
Drostre Bank
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Duke’s Farm
description 1 -
Merthyr Common
photo 10 description 2 -
Fan y Big
photo 11 description 2 link 1 -
Hillis Camp, Llanfilo
description 2 -
Pen-y-Beacon
photo 27 description 3 link 1