The spiral when it first appeared, scanned from a photo taken in November 1993.
Image credit: John Miller
Images
Further damage to the Pikestones, 13-10-07
Image credit: John Miller
13-10-07
Image credit: John Miller
Image credit: treehugger-uk
structure found in the centre
Image credit: treehugger-uk
09-09-06
Image credit: John Miller
09-09-06
Image credit: John Miller
09-09-06 The scars from the recent vandalism are all too obvious
Image credit: John Miller
06/08/06 Further vandalism at Pikestones, the pounding is being done with a large stone which the attacker is replacing in its original hole after use
Image credit: John Miller
Damage at the Pikestones 22/07/06. Compare this with Treehuggers photos taken on the 30/07/06, it appears that further damage has occurred during the week.
Image credit: John Miller
Recent Vandalism at the Pikestones (see fieldnotes)
Image credit: Treehugger-uk
Freshly pounded Spiral (see fieldnotes)
Image credit: Treehugger-uk
Stone on path between Pikestones and the second site at 58 degrees.
Image credit: Pgsherb
Stone showing lines near to Pikestones
Image credit: Pgsherb
Image credit: treehugger-uk
Image credit: treehugger-uk
close up of the dry stone walling(remains of the leg) at the Pikestones
Image credit: Treehugger-uk
Ruined Chambered cairn at Pikestones photographed by me December 1993.
Image credit: David Turner
Spiral at Pikestones photographed by me in December 1993. Note how newly carved it appears compared to its present weathered state. I think this is a modern defacement.
Image credit: David Turner
Pikestones photographed by me in Dec 1993
Image credit: David Turner
a nice wide angle of all that now remains of the pikestones
Image credit: treehugger-uk
The winter solstice 2003 at the pikestones brrr its freezing up here!
Image credit: treehugger-uk
a view inside the chamber did the ancients really eat pot noodles? i think not. this image is disheartening and is purely to show the sad state of this site.
Image credit: treehugger-uk
more rockart perhaps? spiral/cup and ring? this is located on the stone leaning against the back of the spiralled one
Image credit: treehugger-uk
a good image of the pikestones the spiral is clearly visible in the centre
Image credit: treehugger-uk
Illustration to show the relivent dimensions of the modern spiral.
Image credit: Rivington Pike
View of the Pike Stones looking North East ( towards Great Hill)
Image credit: Lindsey Barrow
Detail of the text
Image credit: Lancashire County Council
The Pikestones information Board.
(This is new since I last visited 15 years ago !!)
Image credit: Lancashire County Council
'Summer' detail of the spiral.
Overall height – 31" Spiral Height – 10.5" Width – 12".
Image credit: Rivington Pike
This site, once again, seems to focus on Winter Hill – or more specifically Rivington Pike in this case. The trees now block this view but it seems uncanny that so many sites in this area of Lancashire have a clear view of Winter Hill. From what I can make out on site, and from other images I've seen, the entrance to the chamber would have been in the foreground aligning with Rivington Pike.
IronMan is caught, by the chamber, taking a photo... from here a clear circle can be discerned – this would have made up the central section of the cairn, and housed the chamber (see purple diagram!)
Image credit: M. Thornton
Looking out over the chamber to the Lancashire plains and Chorley.
Image credit: M. Thornton
This photo was taken on 4/1/03
Ground plans drawn from two separate archaeological surveys: Dr J. D. Bullock (TLCAS Vol.LXVIII 1958) and Frances Lynch (PPS Vol.XXXII 1966).
Artists impression on the plaque at the entrance to the site.
Carved into the largest stone. Don't know when this originates from as I can't find any further information on this site. Any ideas, anybody?
Articles
visited pikestones last month. no more visible damage. somone had built an enclosed stone altar close by, inside of which was a sheep skull
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Visited here yesterday 30/7/06 its my first visit this year and it distressed me to see how much this site has gone down since my last visit due to the mindlessness of some individuals.
This site has suffered badly from heavy excavation in the past and is hardly recognisable as to what it once was, now some idiots are causing whats left of it further distress.
Firstly theres 2 different rocks with names carved on.
Somebody has also been setting fires at the rear of the chamber and the worst damage i saw was somebody has taken a stone and pounded the spiral, i know the spiral isnt contemporary but theres no need to vandalise it further.
I remain in awe at the stupidity of individuals who cause damage like this.
Whilst walking from Pikestones in search (unsuccessfully) for Devils ditch I passed the site at 58 degrees . This looks like a settlement site rather than a stone circle. On our way back with the sun at a very low angle (8.45pm late May) about 100 yards from the settlement site towards Pikestones, and directly on the path I came across this stone showing clear signs of having been worked. The striations are parallel and deep. First thoughts were plough marks although any one who knows this area will doubt it has ever been ploughed. The marks are very evenly spaced to be anything other than intentional. Comment welcome.
[visited 22/02/04] What a site for sore eyes this is, its condition reminds me of Grey Mare in Dorset, but the ground plan on the wellkept sign makes it look more like Hetty Peglars Tump. I parked on the corner & headed across open moor to the barrow. Its a bit trashed, but the location made up for it.
Didn't find the circle mentioned here, but did find a cairn with stones on the center which was approx 300m at 58 degrees from the Pikestones so maybe...
I've been wanting to visit the Pikestones for sometime now and so on a crisp october day I decided to do so. Suprisingly they were relativelyeasy to find. Follow the road round past the Manor House 'til the road leads straight again and there is a gate at the top of the road just before the road takes a sharp right. Park your car by the gate as there's loads of room behind. The gate is at the end of a track leading straight on the Pikestones. Although not signposted, it's in a field to the left of the gate. You can't miss it. It's in the top left of the field by the trees.
Once here you are immediately struck by the utter destruction of the site, although there is still a lot to see. It's just a shame to see this site in the state its in. It must have been a very grand place at one time, but the thing that really saddened me was the lack of respect it had been given by somebody who had actually stuffed crisp wrappers, a Pot Noodle carton and baby wipes in the burial chamber itself along with other rubbish. Do people not know this place contained burials? It's a grave, a final resting place of once great people, and they deserve the dignity they were placed here with. Anyway I cleared the site of rubbish and that was an end to that I hope.
I did not find the stone circle nearby which was mentioned although there are lots of earthworks here (too many too photograph). One thing does intrigue me though. The info board mentions this is one of only two chambered tombs found in Lancashire. Does anyone know which the other was? All in all a beautiful place and fantastic views. You sometimes forget how beautiful Lancashire is, and this place indeed reminds you.
Stone circle near Pikestones, but not on 1:25000 OS map. The circle is approximately 10 metres in diameter with a central stone of 0.5 metre in height. The locaton is about 300 metres from Pikestones on a bearing of 58 degrees. NGR: SD 630 174. I have no other details at present, I just found it by chance when walking in the area today.
15.2.02
This is the second time i have tried to visit this site, success at last. It is much damaged but worth visiting in my opinion.
Their is a spiral carved in to the stone which is really cool.
This site is very open and the wind is blowing me about.
Although it has an information board up, it is not sighnposted from the road and not really known in the area.
Good views over Chorley and Preston.The field it is in are well boggy, so wear wellies or good boots. The area has a good atmosphere. I am going to try and find out a bit more about any Folklore about the area.
Scant remains, in complete ruin (the result of excavations, from what I can gather), of what must have once been a very impressive site (well according to the artist's impression!). Still keeps a good amount of atmosphere however.
As a boy I walked up here many times. I visited again recently with my own children and saw the spiral for the first time. This is definately vandalism. It has only appeared within the last fifteen years.
In fact, on close inspection you can see where the lichen on the slab has been cut across. Lichen takes a very long time to grow, possibly hundreds of years, and not one bit of lichen can be seen in the groove. This has definately not come from antiquity. Sorry to dissapoint anyone.
It should be noted that the spiral is in fact vandalism. I visited the site approximately 10 years ago and this had been freshly chiselled in to the stone. It is not an original feature and has caused irrepairable damage to this ancient site.
Very similar to what I imagine the burial tombs at the other end of the moor were once like. The carving is cracking and reminds me of the unfurling bud in springtime, perhaps a symbol of renewal.
Despite the news from above post, the carving still looks good!
3rd March 2004
Pikestones is one of the Severn-Cotswold type chambered cairns. Could it be the most northerly example of such?
Iron Man – the Pikestones are mentioned in the Northern Earth index for edition 54 – if anyone's got a copy perhaps that could shed some light on the spiral?
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