Sunkenkirk stone circle walking the cumbrian mountains. The neolithic swinside stone circle sunkenkirk stone circle photographic print by julian elliott. The neolithic swinside stone circle sunkenkirk stone. Castlerigg, cockpit, swinside and burnmoor stone circles in the lake district are all free to visit.
The stone circle shows us that birth and spirit were considered connected and that the best representation of that relationship is the cycle of life, a circle which travels forward in order to reach its beginning again. Discover nine ladies stone circle in stanton lees, england. It contains 55 stones, despite a local belief which claims it is impossible. It is not always precisely circular, often forming an ellipse, or more rarely a setting of four stones laid on an arc of a circle.
Nine ladies stone circle stanton lees, england atlas obscura. Jul 25, 2017 the stone circles of wales and the fascinating reasons behind them. The largest circle is known as brats hill and there are two nearby pairs of circles known as white moss and low longrigg. Swinside stone circle, which dates from the bronze age, is one of the most impressive stone circles in the lake district or cumbria and is considered to be amongst the finest in europe. The best known examples include those at the henge monument at avebury, the rollright stones and elements within the ring of standing stones at. Perfect neolithic stone circle, diameter about 90 feet, comprising 55 stones. The circle of stones may be surrounded by earthwork. Sunkenkirk swinside stone circle north of hallthwaites.
Sunkenkirk stone circle, swinside, black combe, white combe, millom, cumbria. Stanton drew stone circles stantonbury camp stanwick iron age fortifications stone circle stonehenge stoney littleton long barrow sweetworthy swinside temple wood templebryan stone circle the bridestones the bull ring the hurlers stone circles the longstones the merry maidens the sanctuary thornborough henges tinkinswood torhouse traprain law. In gentle isolation about a mile along a farm track, swinside, also known as sunkenkirk, stone circle is a lovely wellpreserved circle with a charm of its own. Sunkenkirk was featured in episode three of bbcs history of ancient britain. This is a fantastic stone circle that stands on a small plateau of land with thwaites fell to the north and more closely overlooked by swinside fell to the west which gives the site its alternate name of swinside circle. Out of an estimated 60 original stones, 55 survive.
Swinside stone circle, in the lake district, england. Feb 19, 2015 twentyfive miles north of stonehenge lies the neolithic stone circle of avebury. See more ideas about canopy and stars, eden valley, wales england. Like castlerigg, it dates from the neolithic period and its entrance seems to line up with the midwinter sunset. The stones are up to 10 feet 3 metres high and form what appears to be virtually a perfect circle, with an entrance on the south east.
Nine ladies stone circle stanton lees, england atlas. Find art you love and shop highquality art prints, photographs, framed artworks and posters at. I learned only after reading the book that this was the authors first novel. Great stone circles will satisfy diverse appetites. Neolithic settlers cleared patches of forests for farming and build stone circles like castlerigg and swinside. Dating from the bronze age swinside circle is one of the best preserved in the county. Swinside stone circle, cumbria m e g a l i t h i a. Swinside stone circle is one of the most impressive, and at the same time, one of the least visited, stone circles in britain. Sunkenkirk stone circle, 230m south east of swinside is a wellpreserved and excellent example of a rare monument type. Burl presents historical considerations of the stone circles, updated with his own and. Not a book you will tire of quickly if stone circles are your thing. Leaving cork, take n71 southwest through bandon and clonakilty approximately 55km. The stones are up to 10 feet 3 metres high and form what appears to be virtually a perfect circle, with an entrance on the. There is such a feeling of peace and history in stone circles.
This book is not only an elegant and practical guide, it is also the best single. The best known tradition of stone circle construction occurred across the british isles and brittany in the late neolithic and early bronze age, with over surviving examples, including avebury, the ring of. Twentyfive miles north of stonehenge lies the neolithic stone circle of avebury. Romance, sagas, short stories, spy story, suspense, technothriller. Sep 1, 2015 explore karenherd7s board long meg and her daughters stone circle. There is a welldefined entrance at the southeast, where there are two portal stones outside the circumference. It is as entertaining as it is informative, and the author conveys throughout his own enthusiasm for the subject. View all hotels near swinside stone circle on tripadvisor.
The best known tradition of stone circle construction occurred across the british isles and brittany in the late neolithic and early bronze age, with over surviving examples, including avebury, the ring of brodgar and stonehenge. The 4 lake district stone circles stone age and bronze age. A ouija board could have been an interesting addition in finding out who was trying to contact cristyn. The stone circles of wales and the fascinating reasons behind.
Prehistoric history of keswick and the surrounding lake. The third part of the book focuses on the construction of swinside in cumbria. Oct 06, 2016 swinside stone circle, in the lake district, england. I hope he can repeat the process at other circles in the future. Wonderfully atmospheric in mist and quite remote, apart from the farm, the circle is unspoilt and complete. Descriptions, images and how to get there, and other stone age. They are commonly found across northern europe and great britain, and typically date from the late neolithic and early bronze age eras, with most concentrations appearing from 3000 bce. As with many of burls other works, the great attraction is the space given to the lesserknown sites. Burl concludes by reconstructing the social history of swinside in the lake district, describing the builders, their way of life, and the. Stone circle simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. A couple of years ago we got talking to a farmer near by who told us he had some. The nine ladies stone circle and their king stone arent built on the scale of stonehenge coming up to knee level and a handy picnic perch which can come as a bit of a surprise to those of us more used to stone circles such as long meg and her daughters in cumbria.
Swinside is a spectacular cumbrian stone circle, approximately 28 metres in diameter, constructed of local slate and sitting on an artificially flattened plateau. Incorrect book the list contains an incorrect book please specify the title of the book. Sunkenkirk stone circle, 230m south east of swinside. Although the circle is located on private ground, it can easily be viewed from a nearby public footpath. Posts about swinside stone circle written by lapoubelle1969. Possibly the best of all the circles in cumbria and thankfully fairly easy to get to. Stone circles are prehistoric monuments comprising one or more circles of upright or recumbent stones. This beautiful, compact circle of 55 stones is considered by aubrey burl one of the finest stone circles of western europe. Last year i bought a book on stone circles in the lake district, but still never got around to visiting the more out of the way ones. Aug 01, 2001 in the stone circle is more of a mystery than a horror story, with a touch of historical facts. They are around 1 mile north of the village of boot. They are very similar in construction and size, and there may have been a sea route. It is made of several standing stones, usually menhirs that are arranged in a certain way. This littlevisited stone circle is one of the finest in britain.
Also known as sunkenkirk, from a legend that folk tried to build a church there. It is not as well known as castlerigg, for instance, as it is well off the beaten track, but at 28. Casterton stone circle consists of 19 stones all under two feet high. Also known as sunkenkirk stone circle, swinside stone circle is one of the big 3 stone circles in cumbria, the other two being ny2923. Dating from the bronze age, it lies about 23 miles ssw of castlerigg. This stone circle is locally known as the druids altar. Also known as sunkenkirk stone circle, swinside stone circle is one of the big 3 stone circles in cumbria, the other two being 5383899 and 5511934. Filed under british history, british landscape, cumbria, english history, english myths and legends, historic churches in england, historic places to. Fourteen year old cristyn is not happy when her college professor father announces that they are going to spend the summer in wales with another professor and her two. Sunkenkirk stone circle, 230m south east of swinside, millom. The stone circles of wales and the fascinating reasons behind them. A stone circle is a monument of stones arranged in a circle or ellipse. A stone circle is an ancient monument of standing stones. Swinside stone circle g laird geograph britain and.
Great stone circles does cover the construction of swinside, but id liked to have seen more of this. Originally 17 massive stones, it is now composed of stones. The swinside stone circle is aubrey burls favourite. It is older and much bigger than its more famous cousin it is in fact the largest stone circle in the world, and is part of a much larger ritual complex that includes the long barrows and silbury hill. This bronze age stone circle is situated in a woodland clearing high on stanton moor. Inappropriate the list including its title or description facilitates illegal activity, or contains hate speech or ad hominem attacks on a fellow goodreads member or author. Oct 18, 2008 it was excavated in 1937 when it was found to contain several stone cists which in turn contained the remains of several cremations. They also made polished axes from the volcanic stones quarried high in the fells, these axes were traded as far away as ireland. Swinside stone circle broughton in furness 2020 all you. The circle stands in a superb setting amongst a mountain backdrop on artificially raised ground five miles north of the town of millom.
The stone circles of wales and the fascinating reasons. Aubrey burl in his book rings of stone suggests that ballynoe may have direct links with swinside stone circle in cumbria. Thousands of years ago, people in britain painstakingly arranged huge blocks of stone into careful circles. This is just a taster of the history surround keswick and in the lake district. Sunkenkirk stone circle, swinside, black combe, white. Swinside stone circle, cumbria showing standing stones swinside stone circle, cumbria leave a comment. A guide to the stone circles of britain, ireland and brittany. This littlevisited stone circle is one of the finest in britain and has 55 stones, though there were probably originally 60 stones. Legend says this littleknown stone circle is formed from people petrified as punishment for dancing on the sabbath.
In the stone circle is a historical fiction book based in wales, england. Todays short walk cannot be described as a fell walk but it is interesting nevertheless. When one thinks of stone circles, the likelihood is that stonehenge and avebury are the first that come to mind. Welcome to the edge guide to the stone circles of cumbria. I thought it was about time to revisit the site and also take a look over the black combe and white combe areas. Posts about english myths and legends written by sir gawain. It is set at the edge of a rocky slope, in a beautiful greenbelt by the sea. And yet, surely stone circles must have had another purpose.
Dating from the late neolithic or early bronze age, the stones are of porphyritic slates and form a. A stone circle is a circular alignment of standing stones. The main character cristyn and her father go to wales for the summer for her father to learn more about welshs history for a book he is writing. Swinside is possibly the best stone circle in cumbria and is widely held to be one. Swinside stone circle, cumbria, england site guide and.
Spirals on circles internationally recognised expert on stone circles, kevin rowandrewitt gives a fascinating presentation to new horizons saint annes on the 30th september 20. It is older and much bigger than its more famous cousin it is in fact the largest stone circle in the world, and is part of a much larger ritual complex that includes the long. Such monuments have been constructed in many parts of the world throughout history for many different reasons. Swinside britains most mysterious stone circles travel. Prehistoric history of keswick and the surrounding lake district.
Elizabeth cody kimmel booklist elizabeth cody kimmel message board. Also known as sunkenkirk and swineshead, swinside stone circle is another found in the lake district. It was excavated in 1937 when it was found to contain several stone cists which in turn contained the remains of several cremations. Swinside stone circle is one of the three most important stone circles in cumbria, and consists of 55 stones set in a ninety foot diameter circle. This new edition includes a section on druidical circles, romantic creations of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. The drombeg stone circle is a little over an hour from cork, ireland by car. Its alternative name is from a legend that the devil caused the stones, intended for building a church, to sink at night into the ground. Swinside stone circle is widely regarded as one of the finest in europe, if not the world. The burnmoor stone circles are a group of five different 4000yearold stone circles in cumbria. Swinside, which is also known as sunkenkirk and swineshead, is a stone circle lying beside. Swinside stone circle, hallthwaites, millon, cumbria the northern. It entails some interesting history about wales and the welsh struggle against english oppressions over the centuries. One of around 1,300 recorded stone circles in the british isles and brittany, it was constructed as a part of a megalithic tradition that lasted from 3,300 to 900 bce, during what archaeologists categorise as the late. Swinside stone circle was constructed from local slate slabs on a foundation of packed pebbles some 5,000 years before you were born.
Swinside stone circle g laird geograph britain and ireland. Legend has it that the local people of swinside attempted to build a church on the site, but every night the devil would scupper their plans by knocking it down and placing the stones in a circle. The value of the monument is not only held in its above ground structural form, but also in its below ground archaeological deposits contained within features such as. Sep 26, 2017 the top destination for megaliths and prehistory worldwide. Swinside, which is also known as sunkenkirk and swineshead, is a stone circle lying beside swinside fell, part of black combe in southern cumbria, north west england.
The top destination for megaliths and prehistory worldwide. It is found to the right of a footpath up a track to thwaites fell not far north o. The circle stands far from the main a595 road and nearly a mile from a back road that leads north from close to the village of halltwaites to cragg hall. The curious arrangement consists of nine upright stones purposefully set in a 30foot diameter circle. Very often, burial sites are in the circle, or nearby. I parked the car on a roadside near the tiny village of broadgate and walked for 30 minutes or so to reach swinside, climbing up a steep hill before the track flattened out across the fell side offering views for miles to the north. Swinside stone circle broughton in furness 2020 all. Outlander by diana gabaldon, in the stone circle by elizabeth cody kimmel, the china garden by liz berry, in the circle of ti. Cumbria, however, is one of the most densely populated regions for these prehistoric marvels, and also contains some of the most complete stone circles. The circle stands up a farm track about 3 miles west of broughtoninfurness, cumbria, in the southwest corner of the lake district. The value of the monument is not only held in its above ground structural form, but also in its below ground archaeological deposits contained within features such as stone sockets and infilled pits. Drombeg stone circle rosscarbery, ireland atlas obscura. This practical and knowledgeable guidebook deals comprehensively with the stone circles of britain and ireland and with the cromlechs and megalithic horseshoes of brittany. Spam or selfpromotional the list is spam or selfpromotional.
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