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<< Our Photo Pages >> Shap Avenue - Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue in England in Cumbria

Submitted by Anne T on Sunday, 21 March 2004  Page Views: 16766

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Shap Avenue
Country: England County: Cumbria Type: Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue
Nearest Town: Penrith  Nearest Village: Shap
Map Ref: NY567138  Landranger Map Number: 90
Latitude: 54.517636N  Longitude: 2.670392W
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.
no data 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.
4 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
4

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I have visited· I would like to visit

TheCaptain visited on 19th Sep 2022 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. After a pint at the Kings Arms I decide I have enough time to have a look for many of the Shap stones.

SandyG visited on 8th Sep 2017 - their rating: Cond: 1 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Parking is available at NY 56358 15076. From here a network of public footpaths provides access to some of the stones. Others can be viewed from the paths and public road.

Anne T visited on 5th Jul 2014 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 4 Access: 3 Armed with information from the Portal and a map of the locations of the stones they've mapped in the stone row so far from Shap Local History Society, we started off at Kemp Howe stone circle, and walked round the village looking for stones. We met a couple of the more senior locals as we went round, and they were keen to help and point out where the stones were, and tell us of others. There are so many stones around and near to the village, most of them clearly on the same alignment that we became quite overwhelmed with the scale and sense of what our ancestors achieved and what it all represented. We ended up at Skellaw Hill and the Thunder Stone, then had to call it a day, as we wanted to travel over to Swinside Stone Circle before heading off home. The Shap Stone Row is certainly intriguing, and I came back with around 100 photos of possible stones and locations - I've picked two to submit that aren't already recorded on this page. Well worth exploring, and whilst visiting, I'd also recommend hopping down to Shap Abbey and Keld Chapel nearby, too. Both are free to get into, and are in picturesque locations, with a lot of history attached.

FrothNinja have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 1.5 Ambience: 4 Access: 3.5

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by AngieLake : These were the most noticeable stones fringing the east side of the road, heading back towards the village after visiting Kemp Howe, that might have possibly come from the ancient monuments. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Stone Avenue and Stone Rows linked to the stone circle in Cumbria. Shap Stone Row is a collection of standing stones and rocks forming an arc which starts just south of Shap Village at Kemp Howe Stone Circle. The row forms a rough southeast to northwest arc which runs for almost 2.5 kilometres, heading across the road from Kemp Howe, up through the village itself, then over the fields, ending just north of High Buildings Farm, north west of the village. As most of the stones are within sight of each other, it is easy to see how the stones fit the alignment, particularly from the higher points along the route, although it is very difficult to make out the two possible avenues the row forms.

The stones are mainly of local, pink, granite. The Thunder Stone, and probably the Googleby Stone, are erratics, left by the glaciers, but forming major features of the stone row. See our Nearby Sites list below for links to the other sites.

Whilst there are 14 stones now recorded by English Heritage, over the years the stones from the row have been reused, and part of the fun in exploring this ancient monument is coming across standing stones in gardens, within stone walls, and occasionally lying in the fields and next to footpaths.

The focal point of the Stone Row is purported to be 2 stone circles at the south of Shap. The first is Kemp Howe, sadly now partly destroyed by blasting for the railway; a second, at Carl Loft, which I believe to lie behind the Greyhound Hotel at the south end of the village, has been mostly destroyed and lies on private land.

Most of the major stones and features have their own pages on the Portal (The Thunder Stone (NY552157) at High Buildings, The Googleby Stone (NY559159), Asper''s Field (NY558152), Skellaw Hill Tumulus (NY556154, also known as Hill of The Skulls), and Barnkeld (NY562147, also known as The Giant''s Foot or The Drummer), and Kemp Howe (NY567132)).

The row clearly sits in a much larger Neolithic and late Mesolithic landscape. An ongoing survey by Shap Local History Society (who publish an excellent map of the stones and other features) lists 11 stone circles, 7 burial mounds and 1 settlement around the area, in addition to 13 stones listed.

Shap is easy to reach from the M6, using junction 39, the Shap Interchange Bridge. Following this link road to the A6, turn right into Shap Village itself. Kemp Howe is to your right within a kilometre of the turn, almost where the quarry can be seen across the railway line. Parking in the narrow lanes past the village if difficult. There are car parks within Shap, which I would recommend using, as the A6 is busy and fast. Good footpaths run past most of the major stones. As you follow the stone row north, parking is only possible at the sides of road junctions or in field gateways (not recommended as cars travel fast along the lanes).

Update November 2019: This alignment is featured on the Stone Rows of Great Britain website - see their entry for Shap Avenue, which includes a description, a plan of the alignment (adapted from a plan by Clare T (1978), photographs of the stones, access information and list of online resources for more information.

The row is also recorded as Pastscape Monument No. 11876 and scheduled as Historic England List Entry No. 1011637 (Shap Stone Alignment).
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Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by AngieLake : This large stone, which has obviously been worked on, lay in the grass in an area between the Giant's Foot and the Goggleby Stone. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by AngieLake : More possible re-used avenue stones at the base of walls in the village. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by SandyG : Recumbent stone at NY 55548 15282. View from south east. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by Anne T : This stone is at grid reference NY 56587 14272, in the field to the left of Green Farm towards the southern end of Shap Village. Whilst the field the stone is in is private, there is a stile (almost opposite the stone) from the pavement down to the adjacent field, which allows a good view of this stone. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by AngieLake : Not far from the worked stone, and in the [S] wall that runs at right-angles to the wall that one lies beside, is this 'plugged' gap, aligned with the Giant's Foot in the distance. The 'plug' looked like a nice red sandstone carved object that might be an old gatepost, or monumental piece. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by AngieLake : A second view of the 'worked' stone that lies beside a wall not far from the village, between the Giant's Foot and the Goggleby Stone. (It can be seen on Google Earth.)

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by AngieLake : This larger stone was in the [south?] wall of the high field next to the village, approx SE of Goggleby Stone.

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by AngieLake : This massive stone in the wall could well be one of the missing Avenue stones. I lies in the western wall of the high field near the village and to the [south?] east of the Goggleby Stone.

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by AngieLake : Some more of the stones lying on the east side of the A6, east of the pavement leading from Kemp Howe to the village of Shap.

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by AngieLake : Another view of the stones at base of village walls, thought to have been taken from the avenue, etc. (This shot several yards further north from previous two.)

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by AngieLake : Nearby Shap Abbey may have been built from broken up avenue stones. (I have read this somewhere recently!) Maybe in here: http://www.holiday-cottage-in-cumbria.co.uk/pages/Shap-Stone-Circles-and-Standing-Stones.html

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by AngieLake : The Thunder Stone is at the NW end of the Avenue. Interestingly, when standing in the NW arc of Kemp Howe I couldn't help but notice that a distant peak to NW is tantalisingly visible above the lower fells. Maybe that was a focal point for the Avenue? (2 comments)

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by AngieLake : Looking back towards the south in the direction of Kemp Howe, these village walls contained some suspicious stones. If you read the following linked article, you will see that it's thought they might be associated with the destroyed avenue. http://www.holiday-cottage-in-cumbria.co.uk/pages/Shap-Stone-Circles-and-Standing-Stones.html

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by SandyG : Stone at NY 55558 15268 in the foreground with stone at NY 55548 15282 behind. View from south.

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by SandyG : Recumbent stone at NY 55548 15282 has been incorporated into a field wall. View from north.

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by SandyG : Recumbent stone at NY 56236 14781 measures 1.1m long by 0.6m wide and 0.18m high . This stone may have formed part of the stone row. View from west (Scale 1m).

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by SandyG : Stones built into the base of a wall at NY 56289 14824 may have been broken off a slab forming part of the stone row.

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by Anne T : This stone can be found just lying at the side of the footpath leading from the back of the fire station to the Googleby Stone, at approx. grid reference: NY 56077 15192. The more you look for stones, the more there are to see!

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by Anne T : This photograph shows what I think are smaller standing stones built into a stone wall, at approx. grid reference: NY 56035 15007. They can be located by following the footpath opposite the park through to the woodland (about 200 yards). The wall is on the left hand side of the wall is open fields).

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by Anne T : Possible cup mark on the large stone at grid reference NY 56035 15007

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by Anne T : This is one of the larger stones, at approx. grid reference: NY 56035 15007, built into a stone wall with a plantation behind it. At first glance it looks like three separate stones, but I'm informed the left hand side is all one.

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by Anne T : This stone can be seen built into the base of a stone wall, approx. grid reference: NY 56064 14955, about 50 feet south from a large stone, also built into the same wall. (1 comment)

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by Anne T : These two smaller stones can be seen incorporated in the stone wall in the same field at Barnkeld/Giants Foot/The Drummer, at NY 56290 14827, where the stone wall turns away from the footpath.

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by Anne T : The Barnkeld Stone, grid reference NY-56298-14781, reached by following a short footpath to the west of the A6, towards the southern end of Shap village. The stone is located through a gate to the left off the main footpath, and is hidden behind a corner of a stone wall in this L-shaped field.

Shap Avenue
Shap Avenue submitted by durhamnature : Old drawing from "Transactions of Cumberland Archaeologists" via archive.org

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 509m SSE 168° Kemp Howe* Stone Circle (NY56801330)
 1.1km NNW 337° The Giant's Foot (Cumbria)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NY5630014781)
 1.5km NNW 328° Goggleby Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NY5592215093)
 1.6km NNW 328° Aspers Field* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NY5584115208)
 1.9km NW 322° Keld Lane Stones* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NY5554615286)
 1.9km SE 124° St Anne's Well (Shap)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (NY5829412700)
 2.0km NNW 327° Skellaw Hill Tumulus* Round Barrow(s) (NY5565015470)
 2.3km E 92° Hardendale Timber Circle (NY590137)
 2.3km NE 46° Castlehow Stones Stone Row / Alignment (NY584154)
 2.3km NE 39° Thunder Stone (Castlehowe Scar)* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (NY5817615610)
 2.5km WNW 296° Stone Howe Cairn (NY545149)
 2.5km NW 321° Thunder Stone (Shap)* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (NY55151575)
 2.6km ESE 103° Oddendale stone alignment* Stone Row / Alignment (NY5919113205)
 2.6km NE 51° Castlehowe Scar Stone Row* Stone Row / Alignment (NY5873615412)
 2.6km E 100° Kalmott cairn circle* Ring Cairn (NY59301333)
 2.6km NE 50° Castlehowe Scar Stone Circle* Stone Circle (NY5874815472)
 2.6km ESE 109° Oddendale* Stone Circle (NY59201291)
 2.7km SSW 206° Thorny Bank* Cairn (NY555114)
 3.0km ESE 110° Seal Howe* Cairn (NY59541272)
 3.1km ESE 109° Seal Howe Iron Age/Romano British field system* Misc. Earthwork (NY5961612783)
 3.1km ENE 71° Iron Hill South* Stone Circle (NY59641476)
 3.1km ENE 70° Iron Hill North* Stone Circle (NY59631482)
 3.1km W 269° Blaze Hill Round Cairn* Round Cairn (NY5355613795)
 3.2km NNE 14° Cross Shaped Stone of Keverigg* Ancient Cross (NY5751916849)
 3.2km ESE 108° Seal Howe Cairn 2* Round Cairn (NY5969912781)
View more nearby sites and additional images

<< The Giant's Foot (Cumbria)

Glennan Cairn >>

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"Shap Avenue" | Login/Create an Account | 12 News and Comments
  
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Re: Shap Avenue by Anonymous on Sunday, 05 February 2023
On the hand coloured engraved map, Cumberlande and Westmorlande, by Michael Drayton, probably engraved by William Hole, scale about 4 or 5 miles to 1 inch, published by John Mariott, John Grismand, and Thomas Dewe, London, 1622, the avenue is clearly drawn as two rows of stones converging in the north to form a V-shape. A label 'Loders Ston's' on the map may refer to the avenue. The Old Cumbria Gazeteer refers to the Shap Avenue as Karl's Loft (note Carl's Loft is reported as a stone circle behind the Grayhound Inn in a previous post)
[ Reply to This ]

Shap Avenue Map by Anne T on Monday, 04 August 2014
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Shap Local History Society have very kindly sent me a link to the map they have produced of the Shap Stone Row. They tell me the map is very much a 'work in progress', and I've found it a huge help in exploring this area. Enjoy! Shap Stone Avenue map and see also http://www.shapcumbria.co.uk/stone-circles.html
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Shap Avenue by Anne T on Monday, 14 July 2014
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Hi, I lost my login whilst I was (so long) in typing a description of Shap Stone Row, so it was recorded as 'anonymous'. Just to let you know who it came from - hope it helps. Also sent a private message to TheCaptain, so he knows I've submitted it.
Had a brilliant weekend in North Yorkshire and the wilds of Northumberland exploring rock art and stone rows, so watch for some more visit reports.
Best wishes,
Anne T.
[ Reply to This ]

Re: Shap Avenue by Anonymous on Monday, 14 July 2014
A brief description of Shap Stone Row, as per the ''private messages'' with TheCaptain last week. Hope this helps! Anne T.



Shap Stone Row is a collection of standing stones and rocks forming an arc which starts just south of Shap Village at Kemp Howe Stone Circle. The row forms a rough southeast to northwest arc which runs for almost 2.5 kilometres, heading across the road from Kemp Howe, up through the village itself, then over the fields, ending just north of High Buildings Farm, north west of the village. As most of the stones are within sight of each other, it is easy to see how the stones fit the alignment, particularly from the higher points along the route, although it is very difficult to make out the two possible avenues the row forms.



The stones are mainly of local, pink, granite. The Thunder Stone, and probably the Googleby Stone, are erratics, left by the glaciers, but forming major features of the stone row.



Whilst there are 14 stones now recorded by English Heritage, over the years the stones from the row have been reused, and part of the fun in exploring this ancient monument is coming across standing stones in gardens, within stone walls, and occasionally lying in the fields and next to footpaths.



The focal point of the Stone Row is purported to be 2 stone circles at the south of Shap. The first is Kemp Howe, sadly now partly destroyed by blasting for the railway; a second, at Carl Loft, which I believe to lie behind the Greyhound Hotel at the south end of the village, has been mostly destroyed and lies on private land.



Most of the major stones and features have their own pages on the Portal (The Thunder Stone (NY552157) at High Buildings, The Googleby Stone (NY559159), Asper''s Field (NY558152), Skellaw Hill Tumulus (NY556154, also known as Hill of The Skulls), and Barnkeld (NY562147, also known as The Giant''s Foot or The Drummer), and Kemp Howe (NY567132)).



The row clearly sits in a much larger Neolithic and late Mesolithic landscape. An ongoing survey by Shap Local History Society (who publish an excellent map of the stones and other features) lists 11 stone circles, 7 burial mounds and 1 settlement around the area, in addition to 13 stones listed.



Shap is easy to reach from the M6, using junction 39, the Shap Interchange Bridge. Following this link road to the A6, turn right into Shap Village itself. Kemp Howe is to your right within a kilometre of the turn, almost where the quarry can be seen across the railway line. Parking in the narrow lanes past the village if difficult. There are car parks within Shap, which I would recommend using, as the A6 is busy and fast. Good footpaths run past most of the major stones. As you follow the stone row north, parking is only possible at the sides of road junctions or in field gateways (not recommended as cars travel fast along the lanes).
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Shap Avenue (another link to add to Anne's report.) by AngieLake on Monday, 14 July 2014
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    I'd better add this link to your excellent description Anne:
    http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146414013

    If you enjoyed it half as much as I did you'll have had a great day.
    Thanks for sharing.
    [ Reply to This ]
      Re: Shap Avenue (another link to add to Anne's report.) by TheCaptain on Monday, 14 July 2014
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      Ha. I now seem to have requested description for this site page from both of you over the years! That'll make it harder to incorporate into the sitepage for us!!!!!

      Just goes to show that even us Portal admins and regulars just notice the empty sitepage description and dont look below for add on comments
      [ Reply to This ]
        Re: Shap Avenue (another link to add to Anne's report.) by Anne T on Tuesday, 15 July 2014
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        Hi, Martyn,
        There's so much to see on the Shap Avenue, that it must be difficult to incorporate all the different bits and pieces and decide what counts as an 'individual site' and what should be 'grouped' I hadn't spotted Angie's article yesterday (whether it came up or not depended on what search parameters I entered into the Google search - it made great reading, and I wish I'd found it before visiting Shap again).
        To complicate matters further, we're planning on going back to Shap towards the end of August to visit some of the other stone circles and burial mounds identified in the Shap Local History Society Map of the surrounding area, so I'll seek your advice and guidance on how to link these (or not) with the Shap Row.
        Still, you'll have an excellent database ... I'm glad I don't have to decide how to structure the pages (sorry).
        I spent a wonderful day on Sunday exploring StandingStone Rigg near the Goatstones Four Poster, and just processing the photographs from that. I can't (yet) find any reference to this monument on the Portal, so watch out for a new page from me.
        Have a great day, and continued thanks for all the inspiration on sites to visit.
        Anne T.
        [ Reply to This ]

Re: Shap Avenue by AngieLake on Friday, 03 June 2011
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This is the website that gives such good information about the Shap stones:
http://www.holiday-cottage-in-cumbria.co.uk/pages/Shap-Stone-Circles-and-Standing-Stones.html
Though I'd added it to several of the new photos posted here, the link didn't 'activate'.
If I'd taken that with me on my daytrip I might have found more things!

Note mention of Goggleby Stone and Asperger's Field. I'd also seen and photographed them... the second from a distance.
[ Reply to This ]
    Re: Shap Avenue by TheCaptain on Friday, 03 June 2011
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    Good work Angie. When I drove through Shap on my way home from the Lakes a couple of years back, I stopped at Kemp Howe circle, but didn't realise there was anything of the avenue still to be seen in the walls along the roadside. It intrigues me what a massive overall site this would have been.

    Would you like to put together some words which could be used for this sitepage? You probably have much of this already written, but it just needs collecting together. We would of course then credit it to you.
    [ Reply to This ]
      Re: Shap Avenue by AngieLake on Sunday, 05 June 2011
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      Thank you Martyn. I will do this site page piece as soon as I can. Keep getting distracted by mundane things, and, for a while, the hot sunny weather! (A beach too close to me!)
      Bear with me.
      There are a few more pics to put up too.
      Whatever is found around Shap, it is a damn good excuse for a very pleasant walk on a nice day - and I was lucky to have a sunny one. ;-)
      [ Reply to This ]
      Re: Shap Avenue, Angie's 2011 report as requested. by AngieLake on Monday, 14 July 2014
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      This doesn't appear to have been linked in to the site page.
      (Have just added as a 'reply' to Anne T.'s report.)
      See:
      http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=2146414013
      [ Reply to This ]

Re: Shap Avenue by Bone_man on Tuesday, 30 March 2004
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This grid reference is the same as for Kemp Howe stone circle by the railway line at Shap Cumbria.
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