Lordenshaw

Nearest town:
Alnwick (19km NE)
OS reference:
NZ050991
OS sheet:
81
Latitude:
55° 17' 9.02 N
Longitude:
1° 55' 16.57 W
Added to TMA by

Sites within Lordenshaw

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Images

Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Hob

I love that sign.

The ridges of Simonside in the background.

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Jul 29, 2014
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Hob

Had a visit at night to try to pick out some of the carvings on this unruly and gnarly lump of carvedness.

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Jul 29, 2014
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Hob

Lordenshaws 4d. More underwhelming cup marks, but when viewed in context, along the route from Whitton burn, up to Simonside, they acquire a lot more ‘oompf’.

October 2008

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Mar 1, 2009
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Hob

Lordenshaws 4f. (Underwhelming or wot?)

October 2008

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Mar 1, 2009
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Hob

East Lordenshaw 4e.

Cups, a couple of which have single rings, and some long channels.

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Oct 7, 2008
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by bobpc

are the markings on this rock ancient or modern?

Image credit: bobpc
bobpc
bobpc Dec 27, 2006
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Hob

Contrary to the impression given by the promotional leaflet for the ‘Northumberland Lights’ installation at Simonside, there were no fancy lights at the rock art. So we did our own.

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Dec 22, 2006
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by rockandy

Fine early-Autumn evening at Lordenshaw. The Horseshoe Rock (Beckensall 1d).

Image credit: Rockandy
R
rockandy Aug 31, 2005
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by rockandy

Lordenshaw main panel (Beckensall 2c). View W in evening sun towards the heather-covered Simonside Hills.

Image credit: Rockandy
R
rockandy Aug 31, 2005
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Hob

Detail of the main Cup and Ring marked rock

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Aug 15, 2005
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Hob

Beckensall calls this Birky Hill 1b, just to the south of the horseshoe rock, in amongst the reamins of a possible long cairn. It’s quite visible from the main panel, even when the bracken is up.

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Aug 15, 2005
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by Hob

The horseshoe rock, showing it in relation to the main panel, which is visible as the lump on the skyline, next to the old MoW sign.

Image credit: IH
Hob
Hob Aug 15, 2005
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by rockartuk

Lordenshaw, site 3q, November 2004.
The yellow square marks the rare horseshoe-like motif (2 cups connected by a curving groove). Similar motifs are found on top of Goatscrag Hill.
This sloping panel is located on the East-side of the Hill fort among other decorated outcrop rock. The panel is roughly divided into three area’s; the lower part with the basin, cups and a horseshoe-like motif, a middle section with a faint cup-and-ring and a mass of small cups and an upper part with a cup and ring and grouped cups.

rockartuk
rockartuk Nov 27, 2004
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by moey

Another of the cup & ring marked rocks at Lordenshaws, fainter and less decorated, but still nice on a crisp winters day 2/03

moey
moey Feb 15, 2003
Image of Lordenshaw (Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art) by moey

A ruined Cairn at Lordenshaws, views across to Rothbury in the rear

moey
moey Feb 15, 2003

Articles

Lordenshaw

Vandals damage ancient monument in Northumberland

Hob
Hob Apr 8, 2014

From The Journal online:

The damage was reported at 11am on Saturday, after names were carved into the historic rock art at Lordenshaw in Rothbury, Northumberland

Full article here

Lordenshaw

thelonious
thelonious May 20, 2016

05/05/2016 – We parked at the Lordenshaws car park really just to have a walk on the Simonside Hills. Once there we realised that maybe we were heading in the wrong direction! The 1:50000 OS map doesn’t give that much away but a quick glance at the 1:25000 revealed a hillside full of megalithic wonder. Luckily we had all day so we chose Simonside first, leaving the afternoon free to roam the tops on the other side of the road.

The hillside, topped with a great hillfort, is just full of rocks with markings on the them. First up to the big one. Great rock art and the location is fantastic. Close views of the Simonside Hills and The Cheviots looking fine in the distance. After that we spent the rest of the time there just wandering around looking at random stones and taking in the scenery.

So much to see but the one that will stay with me is the Channel Rock. On the far side of the hillfort is this most fantastic rock. It’s huge and has this channel in it that has to be seen. I can’t really explain why I loved it so much but I just found the groove and the smooth surface of the rock so pleasing to the eye.

Top site. If you go (and you should) make a day of it. So much to see.

Lordenshaw

bobpc
bobpc Dec 27, 2006

Went on the eleventh of this month and loved it. The main panel and hillfort – superb. Think I saw some cairns and I have a photograph but I am not sure of what it is. It is not the ones I have posted.

Lordenshaw

Hob
Hob Jul 11, 2004

Sometimes Rock art can be tricky to find. Not here though.

Straight up the path from the carpark, turn left, look for the big rock covered in carvings. Just in case the rock is feeling bashful, the main panel has a slightly quaint signit is virtually impossible to miss.

As ever, a copy of the relevant Stan Beckensall doesn’t go amiss.

A great place to start a jaunt up Simonside, which must surely be the focal landscape feature for this area’s rock art, though it does have a good vista over the nearby river valley (that of the Coquet), as is apparently desirable in a suitable site for cups and rings.

Lordenshaw

pebblesfromheaven
pebblesfromheaven Apr 6, 2003

Back again today, finally found the horse-shoe rock, and it was SO obvious now I know where to look! Just follow the line of wall west, from the main rock.
Found a secret mission taking place which I would tell you all about, but would then have to kill you ;-)

UPDATE
The research has now been published, see link below for details.

.o0O0o.

Lordenshaw

pebblesfromheaven
pebblesfromheaven Feb 16, 2003

On a very bright clear February Saturday afternoon, lots of people had the same idea as me to come here (including moey! PS I was first :-) )

The car-park was very busy (approx 15 cars+), but surprisingly it still had a feeling of isolation, and the site is large enough to take lots of separate wanderers. If you come in the summer, come early or late, you’ll get parked and the light will be better!

There is definately more rock art than I found today, another great excuse for a return visit.

.o0O0o.

Lordenshaw

S
shep Jan 22, 2003

Stunning views in all directions from the hill fort – try to visit during the Nortumbrian heather season (late summer), and I defy you not to be awed by this location!

Miscellaneous

Lordenshaw
Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art
bobpc
bobpc Dec 4, 2006

As long as weather conditions are alright next week and the place is not under three feet of snow I am planning on going to see the whole Lordenshaw site. I have read about a car park, is it far from the site itself and is North Lordenshaw far away.

Cheers

Miscellaneous

Lordenshaw
Cup and Ring Marks / Rock Art
Hob
Hob Oct 22, 2006

Sat 2 – Sun 3 December 2006
Sat 9 – Sun 10 December 2006

As part of The North East Winter festival, artist Philip Supple has been commissioned to create an effects lighting installation piece focusing on the cup and ring marks at Lordenshaw. It has been described as ‘Subtle, yet mind-blowing‘.

The installation is to be an important feature of a series of guided walks from the nearby village of Rothbury, to the ‘sacred hill’ of Simonside, the walks highlight the archaeology of the area, and also include an emphasis on the folklore of the Duergar.

Contact Rothbury National Park Centre (Tel: 01669 620887)
or visit: the NE winter festival website .

Topics

Stone Altars On The Beaches Of Time! 2
FourWinds
FourWinds
Jan 2003

Sites within 20km of Lordenshaw

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