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Stone Worlds: Narrative and Reflexivity in Landscape Archaeology

Stone Worlds: Narrative and Reflexivity in Landscape Archaeology

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<< Our Photo Pages >> Kemp Howe - Stone Circle in England in Cumbria

Submitted by nicoladidsbury on Tuesday, 30 March 2004  Page Views: 16495

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Kemp Howe Alternative Name: South Shap
Country: England County: Cumbria Type: Stone Circle
Nearest Town: Penrith  Nearest Village: Shap
Map Ref: NY56801330  Landranger Map Number: 90
Latitude: 54.513151N  Longitude: 2.668774W
Condition:
5Perfect
4Almost Perfect
3Reasonable but with some damage
2Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site
1Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks
0No data.
-1Completely destroyed
2 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
2 Access:
5Can be driven to, probably with disabled access
4Short walk on a footpath
3Requiring a bit more of a walk
2A long walk
1In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find
0No data.
5 Accuracy:
5co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates
4co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map
3co-ordinates scaled from a bad map
2co-ordinates of the nearest village
1co-ordinates of the nearest town
0no data
5

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SumDoood Modern-neolithic would like to visit

TheCaptain visited on 19th Sep 2022 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 2 Access: 4 Driving up to Penrith on the day of the Queen's funeral, the M5 and M6 nicely free of traffic, I turn off at Shap for a look at some of the Shap Avenue stones. A quick look at Kemp Howe stone circle, but the field is closed off with livestock inside, so I satisfy myself with a look over the gate.

drolaf visited on 18th Sep 2021 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 2 Access: 4 some large lumps of granite-the ring must have been pretty impressive

trystan_hughes visited on 15th Apr 2016 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 3 Access: 4

BolshieBoris visited on 1st Jan 2015 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 1 Access: 4

Anne T visited on 5th Jul 2014 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 2 Access: 4 Having been kept awake most of the night by heavy, heavy rain, then being greeted by leaden skies with a distinctly autumn feel, the weather in Cumbria, according to the weather forecast, seemed a lot more appealing. Armed with information from the Portal and a map with the locations of stones in the Stone Row from the Shap Local History Society, we hopped in the car and drove west. We parked at the entrance to the field with Kemp Howe in it (the gate to the field was left wide open, and there was a short trackway up to the stones, although the road was horrendously busy), and walked the 100 feet or so up to the stones. Whilst the grass in the field had recently been cut, the undergrowth round the stones had been left uncut. I confess to being horrified at the damage done to these stones by the Victorians - what a travesty. We got to admire several trains passing by at very close quarters, and could almost have waved to the quarry men the other side of the railway line. The views of the fells to the west (across the road) and beyond was appreciated and were in stark contrast with what was behind us. This marked the start of an afternoon well spent exploring the Stone Row in glorious sunshine, with a nice lunch stop at the Shap Coffee Shop in the village, then taking in the stones at the west of Shap Village, finishing with the Tumulus at Skellow Hill and the Thunder Stone.

Richard13 visited on 1st Mar 2007 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 2 Access: 4

BolshieBoris visited on 1st Jan 1995 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 1 Access: 4

TheCaptain nicoladidsbury NickyD have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 2 Ambience: 1.86 Access: 4

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by nicoladidsbury : This is the remains of what must have been a beautiful stone circle. The stones are pink granite and have a lovely glow. Unfortunately the ambience has been shattered by the "wonderful" victorians, who built the railway on top of it. (Vote or comment on this photo)
This is the remains of what must have once been a beautiful stone circle. Five or six pink granite stones with a lovely glow, remain in a small section of arc in the field right beside the railway.

Unfortunately the ambience has been shattered by the "wonderful" victorians, who built the railway on top of it, destroying most of it in the process. However, at the right angle it still looks fantastic.
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Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by postman : High speed stoning, "did you see it" "What ?" Train! (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by AngieLake : The circle viewed from the field gate beside the A6. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by raythemapman : A shot of five stones, I wonder how many made up the circle. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by nicoladidsbury : Beautiful pink granite stones - railway line ignored. Grid Ref: NY567113 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by stu : 567134 English Lakes NE sheet. The remaining arc of 6 stones at Kemp Howe, Chopped in half by a railway. (1 comment)

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by TheCaptain : A quick look at Kemp Howe stone circle, but the field is closed off with livestock inside, so I satisfy myself with a look over the gate.

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by drolaf : the circle looks out west to the Cumbrian hills and Langdale

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by Antonine : Visited 2014

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by AngieLake : Another shot of Kemp Howe on 25th Sept, while on a day-trip to the Lakes.

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by AngieLake : Kemp Howe is more overgrown with weeds than when I first visited, though it doesn't seem quite as bad as when AnneT was there. [25th Sept, on day-trip to the Lakes.]

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by Anne T : The three largest stones on Kemp Howe, looking eastwards over the railway line towards the quarry.

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by Anne T : View of Kemp Howe looking south. I doubt the passengers on the train were even aware of such history at their feet whilst they were passing. [We found out that later that day, the Tornado stream train was passing by on this line, and many railway enthusiasts were out to film it (we got talking to one who was waiting by the Skellaw Hill Tumulus). Now that would have been an interesting photo!]

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by Anne T : Looking from the middle of Kemp Howe towards Shap village. We looked closely at all the stones, but couldn't find any obvious rock art.

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by postman : Lovely pink Shap granite stones

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by postman : Its nigh on impossible to exclude the railway from the picture.

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by postman : All the remaining stones of Kemp Howe and the dirty great monster.

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by AngieLake : An attempt to get all the circle's remaining stones in one shot!

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by AngieLake : Another stone that seemed to have some kind of circular marking on the top of it. (1 comment)

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by AngieLake : The smaller stone in the NW arc that aligns at 314 degs with the distant peak. (1 comment)

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by AngieLake : There's a prominent flat-topped high peak in the distance to NW (I measured it to be 314 degs from the smallish flat-topped stone in the NW arc of the circle.) I wonder if this was significant to the builders? It 'peeks' almost mysteriously over the tops of the lower fells. (1 comment)

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by AngieLake : Some of Kemp Howe's remaining stones in the sunshine on 4th May.

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by raythemapman : Four stones and a lot of rubbish.

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by raythemapman : This large stone laying on its side has a crack around its top.It reminds me of a large boiled egg.07/10/09.

Kemp Howe
Kemp Howe submitted by raythemapman : I wonder if the other stones are under the railway,or were they removed.

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 509m NNW 348° Shap Avenue* Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (NY567138)
 1.6km NNW 341° The Giant's Foot (Cumbria)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NY5630014781)
 1.6km ESE 111° St Anne's Well (Shap)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (NY5829412700)
 2.0km NNW 333° Goggleby Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NY5592215093)
 2.1km NNW 333° Aspers Field* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NY5584115208)
 2.2km E 79° Hardendale Timber Circle (NY590137)
 2.3km SW 214° Thorny Bank* Cairn (NY555114)
 2.3km NNW 327° Keld Lane Stones* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NY5554615286)
 2.4km E 92° Oddendale stone alignment* Stone Row / Alignment (NY5919113205)
 2.4km E 99° Oddendale* Stone Circle (NY59201291)
 2.5km NNW 332° Skellaw Hill Tumulus* Round Barrow(s) (NY5565015470)
 2.5km E 89° Kalmott cairn circle* Ring Cairn (NY59301333)
 2.6km NE 37° Castlehow Stones Stone Row / Alignment (NY584154)
 2.7km NNE 30° Thunder Stone (Castlehowe Scar)* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (NY5817615610)
 2.8km ESE 101° Seal Howe* Cairn (NY59541272)
 2.8km NW 304° Stone Howe Cairn (NY545149)
 2.9km E 100° Seal Howe Iron Age/Romano British field system* Misc. Earthwork (NY5961612783)
 2.9km NE 42° Castlehowe Scar Stone Row* Stone Row / Alignment (NY5873615412)
 2.9km NE 41° Castlehowe Scar Stone Circle* Stone Circle (NY5874815472)
 2.9km E 100° Seal Howe Cairn 2* Round Cairn (NY5969912781)
 2.9km NW 326° Thunder Stone (Shap)* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (NY55151575)
 3.2km ENE 62° Iron Hill South* Stone Circle (NY59641476)
 3.2km ENE 61° Iron Hill North* Stone Circle (NY59631482)
 3.3km W 278° Blaze Hill Round Cairn* Round Cairn (NY5355613795)
 3.3km W 272° White Raise Round Cairn A* Round Cairn (NY5347313431)
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Prehistoric Monuments of the Lake District

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"Kemp Howe" | Login/Create an Account | 3 News and Comments
  
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Re: Kemp Howe by Anne T on Sunday, 23 July 2017
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Strangely, there is nothing on Pastscape or Kemp Howe for this stone circle, although it features on Visit Cumbria. Kemp Howe page and forms part of the Shap Stone Row landscape. A terrible location but worth stopping off to have a quick look.

More information can be found on Stone Circles UK which says: "There are (or were) three stone circles in this area, Shap North (Wilson Scar), Shap Centre (Gunnerkeld), and Shap South (Kemp Howe) .... Kemp Howe meanwhile is curiously bisected by the Preston-Carlisle mainline railway with only 6 large stones still in situ. It would originally have been over 24 metres wide had not 19th century railway technology so rudely disturbed it. The circles form part of a much larger complex of monuments that form a roughly southeast-northwest alignment that is now shadowed by the routes of the M6, the A6 and the West Coast Mainline."
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Re: Kemp Howe Street View by Charles_Paxton on Wednesday, 28 August 2013
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We're very excited. One of these stones appears to have a ring mark in relief! Carved in Shap granite. Can you imagine how long that would take to carve? Shap area is fascinating, it's full of sites.
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Kemp Howe Street View by SteveDut on Thursday, 01 April 2010
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