Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle

Also known as:
Banc Du
Nearest town:
Llanidloes (11km W)
OS reference:
SO042792
OS sheets:
136, 147
Latitude:
52° 24' 7.09 N
Longitude:
3° 24' 29.85 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle by thesweetcheat

Looking south to east along the arc of the circle, the top of Postie’s freshly uncovered stone in the foreground.

Image credit: A. Brookes (24.11.2016)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 8, 2016
Image of Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle by thesweetcheat

Surviving stones on the eastern arc (the armchair is out of shot to the left).

Image credit: A. Brookes (24.11.2016)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 8, 2016
Image of Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle by postman

Sunset at Fowlers Arm chair stone circle, with bonus cairn.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Nov 29, 2016
Image of Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle by postman

Recently uncovered fourth stone of the circle.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Nov 29, 2016
Image of Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle by postman

The best three stones of the circle and Fowlers Arm chair.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Nov 29, 2016
Image of Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle by postman

The four surviving stones of Fowlers Arm chair stone circle.

Image credit: Chris Bickerton
postman
postman Nov 29, 2016
Image of Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle by Kammer

Taken 25th May 2004: Viewed from the south, here is the two most prominent remaining stones are indicated by the red arrows. To the left is Fowler’s ArmChair Cairn.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Sep 2, 2004
Image of Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle by Kammer

Taken 25th May 2004: The arcmchair, viewed from the south west. Possible packing stones are visible around its base.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Sep 2, 2004
Image of Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle by Kammer

Taken 25th May 2004: Two of the remaining stones, the furthest being the armchair itself, with William lounging on it.

In the background is some serious soil erosion caused by scrambler motorbikes, and on the horizon above it you can just make out Crugyn-LLwyd.

Image credit: Simon Marshall
Kammer
Kammer Sep 2, 2004

Articles

Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle

postman
postman Nov 29, 2016

Follow the directions for the cairn next door, or even better get a Sweatcheat to navigate for you, cant go wrong.
You’ll see the cairn first and you’ll see the Arm chair before you see the circle. Fowler was a Giant, and giants like people like to lounge around and ponder the universe whilst watching the clouds drift by, perhaps he had his mate Dicky round, though where he would have sat I couldn’t say, and that’s if you could get him off his stool, they’re a strange bunch Giants.
The Arm chair is unfortunately of the extremely uncomfortable variety, a block of sandstone, two foot tall by three feet long by a foot and a half wide, approximately. It lies within the circle, not central.

Kammer noted only three stones to the circle but Coflein said there’s four, so I had a poke round with my boot tip on what looked to be the circumference of the circle, and as if by magic a stone uncovered itself before us, Alken seemed impressed, sadly my boot detected nothing more, except the usual countryside fouling.
Ordnance survey seem quite confident that this is a stone circle, but Coflein only goes as far as possible, I’m very confident of it’s reality, sure, there’s only four stones left, but it’s placement, and it’s view, especially the long one towards the winter sunset, I’m sold.

Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle

Kammer
Kammer Sep 6, 2004

Visited 25th May 2004: After our picnic lunch at Fowler’s Arm Chair Cairn and set out to find the nearby stone circle. After about two steps north William shouted out, ‘is this it?’. I was sceptical, because the stone he was looking at wasn’t obviously part of a circle. After pondering the rocky lump for a couple of seconds (during which William had climbed it) I had to agree with him. Not bad site identification for a four year old! Ironically we had sat eating our lunch right next to the circle without spotting it.

So, not a very impressive site. If Fowler was a giant, then I wonder what he made of his armchair. Not very comfortable I’d have thought. There are only three obvious stones remaining from the circle, the largest being the arcmchair which has been enterpretted as a central stone. None of the stones are big, and none are really standing. On the ground it’s less than clear how they relate to each other.

Miscellaneous

Fowler’s Arm Chair Stone Circle
Stone Circle
Kammer
Kammer Sep 2, 2004

The NMR (available through Coflein) describes the circle, alluding to the legend of Fowler the giant:

A degraded possible stone circle, 13m in diameter, represented by four stones, one of them erect. the eponymous stone, named for a local giant (but see Nprn305882) lies within the circle.

The record referred to as Nprn305882 is the arm chair itself (strangely not available through Coflein).

Topics

Fowler's Arm Chair Stone Circle 2
FourWinds
FourWinds
Sep 2004

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