The view from the car whilst sitting in the lay-by.
Image credit: ruskus
Images
The stone sitting on it’s island between the busy A road and the lay-by.
Image credit: ruskus
Image credit: ruskus
Stockton village sign in background.
Image credit: ruskus
The lonely stone.
Image credit: ruskus
Image credit: Wrekin
This photograph appeared in the Lowestoft Journal, 13th July 1935 and shows the menhir being lifted from its original location preparatory to road widening operations. It stood on the land of Mr. B. Edge of Stockton Old Hall. He supervised its removal assisted by Major S. E. Glendenning of the Norfolk Archeaological Society. When removed from the ground the stone was found to be six feet long and weighed approximately 3.5 tons. NB apologies for the poor quality of this photo! The original was VERY worn and I’ve enhanced it the best I could! B.W.
Image credit: Baron Woodwose
In recently found this old photograph of Stockton Stone in The Lowestoft Journal, February 1935. It shows the menhir deeply embedded in the ground in its original location before it was removed for road widening. The “huge gash” in the side as mentioned by Juamei in Field Notes can be plainly seen in this photograph and obviously predates the moving of the menhir.
Image credit: Baron Woodwose
Yet another joyful stone, I do so love cars...
From the side
Articles
Somewhat sad and lonely stone, sitting defiant between the busy road and the lay-by. Hard to connect with it’s surroundings, really, but as Norfolk and Suffolk have very little in the way of standing stones (!), I’ll take this one.
[visited 30 July 2006] The grass verge had recently been cut, including right to the edge of the stone. It sits in the middle of a lengthy strip of grass between the lay by and the main road, opposite a public path leading alongside a wood and flanked by numerous wild flowers. Despite the fast traffic nearby the area around the stone seemed quite restful. The nail is still embedded in the stone but looks relatively recent in origin. I took a number of pictures as previously there were only two.
[visited 12/01/03] Situated on the edge of the A146 just before the Stockton sign as you come from Norwich. This is a sad little stone, missed no doubt by 99 percent of the people hurtling past on a reasonably busy A road.
I noticed there was the remains of an iron nail or something attached to the top of the stone, so it may have been moved from its original location or it may not be a genuine ancient stone at all.
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And I also see from the photos a huge gash in the side. Was this stone moved from a field?
As it says at http://www.mysterymag.com:
“It is said that anyone who moves it will surely die. In fact, it was moved a few yards several years ago when the road was straightened and one of the workmen died suddenly. ”
It’s also said to be on the alleged cross-country ‘St Michael and Mary’ ley line.
It’s said people make a lot of stuff up as they go along, but I can’t be sure these two come into that category. It’s nice that the stone still has a strange reputation in the 21st century.
Just a snippet from History, Gazetteer and Directory of Norfolk.. by William White (3rd ed, 1864):
At the side of the road, near the boundary of Stockton and Hales, is a large stone, weighing about two tons, called “Stockton Stone,” and in the ancient Town Book, still preserved, is an entry, dated 1645, recording the payment of a small sum for “putting stulps to Stockton Stone.”
A stulp is a support or post. So it sounds like they were looking after it.
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