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<< Our Photo Pages >> The Bridestones (Cheshire) - Chambered Tomb in England in Cheshire

Submitted by vicky on Friday, 15 April 2011  Page Views: 63461

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: The Bridestones (Cheshire)
Country: England County: Cheshire Type: Chambered Tomb
Nearest Town: Congleton  Nearest Village: Timbersbrook
Map Ref: SJ9058962190  Landranger Map Number: 118
Latitude: 53.156755N  Longitude: 2.142193W
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
3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
3 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
5

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External Links:

I have visited· I would like to visit

GeorgieCollins SumDoood Mountainharry MarbleArch would like to visit

TykeinExile visited on 12th Nov 2021 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4 lovely little site on the edge of a small copse of trees. I parked by the Stoneyard, walked back a few metres and into the copse and there it was in all its glory. Peaceful, tranquil and well worth a visit. I would have given access a 5 but not sure how easy the few feet of wood would be to get access through.

Marko visited on 5th Sep 2021 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 3 Access: 4 Been meaning to visit here for many years. Sad to say that the visit left me underwhelmed. The invasive rhododendrons comletely covered the right hand side of the chamber. The inside of the chamber was cluttered with briars,weeds and undergrowth,making access to it nigh on impossible. Only the portal stones and the stones on the left hand side of the chamber were visible (externally) and weed free. This site desperately needs a bit of t.l.c. Maybe the next visitor could take a pair of secateurs and garden gloves - they're sorely needed!

gritstone visited on 1st Jun 2020 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 5 Worth the trip to visit this impressive site.

Ballhc visited on 8th Mar 2015 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4

Judy6 visited on 18th Aug 2013 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Visited here on a Sunday and had no problems with access. Parked in the driveway leading up to "Bridestone Stone", where there is a wooden access gate on the left without entering the company's premises. This gate should not be confused with the shiny new gate leading to a footpath across the adjacent field.

jeniferj visited on 26th Jun 2011 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 5

crissy visited - their rating: Cond: 3 Access: 5

BrownEdger visited - their rating: Access: 5

Bladup rldixon TimPrevett have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 2.86 Ambience: 3.83 Access: 4.5

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by astronomer : Lifting the fallen monolith during the 1936-37 excavation. Photo taken by the then land owner, Mr. G. Ech Roger Jnr. Previously unpublished image made available by the present owner of the glass negatives, Doug Pickford. (Vote or comment on this photo)
The few remaining stones of this once great monument still stand along the line of the Cheshire / Staffordshire border between the hillside of Bosley Cloud and Wolfe Lowe at SJ906662. The site is in desperate need of attention and recognition.

Located at 820ft above sea level, the burial chamber lies on the western crest of a pass running in a north-south line at the foot of the Pennines and has spectacular views across the Cheshire Plain.

It is now a shadow of its former self with thousands of tons of stone having been taken from the cairn by the builders of the nearby turnpike road in 1764. Other stones were used to build the adjacent house and farm, while yet more were recycled into an ornamental garden in Tunstall Park.

However, before this large scale ransacking occurred, it appears that the Bridestones was an incredible monument, perhaps unique in England.

Evidence from a variety of sources indicates that it was a chambered tomb of massive proportions with a paved crescentic forecourt and a port-holed stone dividing the main chamber. The complex was supposedly 110 metres in length with the horned cairn being 11 metres wide. A report from the 18th Century notes that in addition to the main chamber which still stands today, a further two subsidiary ones were located at a distance of 55 yards. No traces of these have ever been found, but there is much debate as to whether they are located east of the surviving chamber, or west. The latter seems more likely as they were probably covered by the same cairn as the main chamber.

Chambered tombs with crescentic forecourts are normally found in the Clyde region of Scotland (Clyde Cairns) such as at Cairnholy and Carn Ban as well as in Ireland (Court Cairns). No other examples are known from the English mainland, the closest being Casthal yn Ard on the Isle of Man. In addition to the paved forecourt, the Bridestones also has another interesting feature in the port-holed stone, a characteristic usually associated with chambered tombs from the Cotswold Severn Region. In the case of the Bridestones it divided the two compartments of the main chamber – at 191/2 inches, the hole would have been large enough for a person to crawl through. A stone of identical proportions known as The Devil's Ring & Finger lies in Staffordshire.

So the question is why was such an unusual monument (one of such large proportions with such unusual features) built here? Cheshire is not a county known for its Neolithic architecture. In fact apart from a couple of suspect long barrows and a now destroyed mortuary enclosure, the Bridestones is the only authentic Neolithic monument. Sadly this has not aided its protection.

The site has suffered much in the last two centuries. As well as the thousands of tons of stone that have been taken from the cairn, a number of the standing stones from the ‘circle’ forming the forecourt have also been removed. During the 19th Century a picnicker’s bonfire led to the side slabs of the main chamber and the port-holed stone being seriously cracked. In fact the top half of the port-holed stone has long since disappeared. To add insult to injury a local newspaper article records that ‘many years ago, an engineer engaged in the cutting of the Manchester Ship Canal, visiting the spot actually used one of the biggest monoliths for the purpose of carrying out a demonstration with a detonator, as a result of which the great stone was broken off close to the ground’. Luckily the damage was not beyond repair as this portal stone was cemented back together during excavations in the 1930s.

The stones that have survived are now fenced off in the corner of a field, surrounded by yews, rhododendrons and conifers and overgrown with bracken in the summer. The site is in desperate need of attention and recognition.

For more information see Historic England List ID 1011115 and Pastscape Monument No. 78118. The Journal of Antiquities also features a page for this chambered tomb - see their entry for The Bridestones, Timbersbrook, Cheshire.

Note: Many thanks to Doug Pickford and Kevin Kilburn for these exclusive archive photos of the 1936 excavation
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The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by astronomer : Sunset at the Bridestones Chambered Cairn on the Mid Winter Solstice. Photograph taken by Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, Kevin Kilburn, who has been investigating prehistoric astronomical alignments in the Cheshire/Staffs area. (7 comments - Vote or comment on this photo)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by PaulM : The 'front' of the burial chamber following the pruning work. (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by Postman : Sunset, 18th February, about tea time. (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by twentytrees : Reconstructed to point towards the hill in the far distance on which Beeston Castle is located; an island at the north end of the Peckforton Hills. Possibly. Reconstructed tombs can be unreliable. (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by twentytrees : Excellent site. Well worth a visit. Seems isolated - few sites around it? (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon : Bridestones taken in Infra red with lomo effect (3 comments)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by PaulM : A view of the rear of the burial chamber following recent vegetation removal prompted by the actions of Stones list members.

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by APCrowley : Bridestones, Congleton (12"x18") by APCrowley (abvhiael@live.ca)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by DavidHoyle : Bridestones looking West

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by astronomer : The Bridestones were excavated and partially restored in 1936-37 by Prof. H.J. Fleure of Manchester University. The excavation was documented by Margaret Dunlop MA in the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarion Soc. Vol 53. During the excavation, Mr. G. Ech Roger Jr. of Bridestones House took a series of pictures that to date it is thought have not been published. The glass negatives are now owned... (4 comments)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon : Bridestones InfraRed 2009

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon : Bridestones in colour taken may 2008

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by blingo : The Bridestones in infrared. (2 comments)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by andyrooblue : Mid-Summer Sunset from BrideStones. Unfortunately the vegetation to the east of the site means that the setting sun is not visible from the stones. Compare with mid-winter sunset submitted by Vicky. (3 comments)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by andyrooblue : "Bridestones on Mid-Summers Night". Chambered tomb, Cheshire: grid ref:SJ906622. (2 comments)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)  book
The Bridestones (Cheshire) book submitted by PaulM : Doug Pickford. The Bridestones. Bawdstone Press. ISBN 0 952 5448 0 6. (£3.95) A good book for background but watch out for the fairies and UFOs :-) (3 comments)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by ThelwallMM : Taken at the Spring Equinox, 2022. The area around the barrow has been extensively tidied up (by Draconis) and the stones are easily accessible.

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by AdamTurner : The Bridestones, near Congleton, July 2020. Social distancing visit.

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon : Big stone just inside the gateway to the Monument is it part of the Bridestones complex ?? Taken 3-6-2011 (1 comment)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by astronomer : Prof. Fleure supervising the re-erection of the fallen monolith now cemented (probably incorrectly) onto the stump at the SE corner of the cist. Photo taken by the land owner, Mr. G. Ech Roger Jnr. , during the excavation and ‘restoration’ of 1936-37. Previously unpublished image made available by the present owner of the glass negatives, Doug Pickford. (5 comments)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by astronomer : During initial excavation and prior to restoration 1936-37. Photo taken by the land owner, Mr. G. Ech Roger Jnr. , during the excavation and ‘restoration’ of 1936-37. Previously unpublished image made available by the present owner of the glass negatives, Doug Pickford.

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by crissy : Taken on 28th November 2010 when there was still snow on the ground. I hadn't been here before but my husband has been many times in the past. Was very impressed with the site.

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by crissy : Taken on 28th November 2010 when there was snow on the ground.

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon : Bridestones 2009 showing hugh cracks in left side stone panoramic photo merged from three photographs and resized can you spot the join ? ;-)

The Bridestones (Cheshire)
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon : bridestones INFRARED 2009

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Re: The Bridestones (Cheshire) by MollyM on Wednesday, 13 September 2023
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Visited today, and since my last visit (6 months ago) some vile person has chiselled their initials, and some words, on the right (as you approach) horizontal stone of the tomb.

What is wrong with people!
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Re: Bridestones by Anonymous on Monday, 05 June 2023
The walk and map we followed showed the route going through the nearby farmyard ... The only route we discovered ran behind the farm if you dropped down from The Cloud. There didn't appear to be any signage, but we did find it. Not all local people seemed to be aware of it. Is this a deliberate ploy to 'protect' it?
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Re: The Bridestones (Cheshire) by Anonymous on Friday, 19 November 2021
Recently visited here. It’s a shame this historical site built between 2400 and 3500 BC by ancient Britains, is hemmed in by a farm stone wall, and overgrown with non native rhododendrons . Nearby footpaths are obstructed by electric fences, and there are no sign posts or site information at hand.
One important stone is further in undergrowth and several similar stones appear similar ,are on top of a adjoining wall on the lane nearby. The view our ancestors would have had across the Cheshire plain is now partially obstructed by pine trees.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the site could be restored to how it was, as there are historically records of how it once was, and for the public to enjoy and learn about Cheshire’s ancient history.
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Re: Bridestones by Anonymous on Thursday, 20 June 2019
The more I go the more I see the more I see the more I know you now it's a fascinating topic to the facts myths tales and story's e.t.c I find personally just to spend a little time there and imagine a whole different type of worldly reality maybe when the sea was over the Cheshire plain or when it was quite new in the days of yonder vale.let your mind ponder over where ever you wonder theres a tale to be told .for them that are bold are never to old to remember.thanks for reading this blog and many happy days too you all
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Re: Bridestones by Anonymous on Wednesday, 07 October 2015
The Bridestones display carvings in the portal stones and within the chamber which seem to have gone unnoticed. The repaired portal stone shows a human figure about 3 feet tall looking onto the forecourt. The head has a jolly, smiling face. The figure appears to have a cow's muzzle looking over his/her left shoulder which may be nibbling at something held by the figure. A small lamb or goat is at its feet.
As you look into the chamber the left wall displays a carving about halfway along which resembles the eye of a reptile. Take a closer look at the entire wall and you will find it is, indeed, a reptilian creature with jaws and teeth which faces the portal stones. I call it a dragon. Outside the chamber you will find the rear end of this beast has an undulating back to represent the backbone.
Once you have got your head around this extraordinary fact you will perhaps notice the other wall of the chamber is another creature facing in the opposite direction. This beast is not ferocious like the first and is cruder in execution.
My investigation of the Five Wells chambered tomb in Derbyshire shows it has sidewalls formed by similar reptilian beasts as does Trefignath, south of Holyhead, on Anglesey. In fact, the large graves at Plas Newydd and Din Lligwy are also in the form of reptilian dragons.
The entire area of the Roaches in Staffordshire displays dragons looking out east, west and north whilst the rocks themselves resemble a huge dragon lying on the landscape.
North of Five Wells is an area known as Wormhill. The worm of course is an ancient name for the dragon. In a farmyard in the village stands an ancient stone, deeply furrowed andof curious outline. On closer investigation it proves to depict an adult dragon with a baby dragon perched on its snout.I bet the property owners have no idea the Worm of Wormhill resides in their garden.
In case you are wondering what the dragon symbolises my thesis is that it is the primeval earth mother who was widely venerated under many names before the advent of Christianity.
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Re: Bridestones, March 2015 missing sign by ballhc on Monday, 16 March 2015
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On a recent visit to this site I notice that the sign is now missing, it used to read something to the effect of 'Scheduled ancient monument' There was probably a bit more than that but I don't remember. There has been a bit of work in the area recently - cutting back rhodedendrons by the burial chamber and some work on a nearby footpath. Don't know if this is anything to be concerned about?
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Re: Bridestones by Anonymous on Wednesday, 05 February 2014
It's a national disgrace that these monuments aren't preserved and respected by the government, think of how many have been desecrated, it's somebody's grave ffs!! What would happen if I dug up someone's gravestone and used it as my doorstep? There's more to England than just stonehenge and west kennet, it's a dam shame that prehistory is brushed aside and ignored for history of empires coming and running amok ie Romans,anglo saxons,Vikings,Normans etc....where's the respect for the native history??before conquest??
Should be priority in my eyes....it ain't even taught in schools....no wonder kids hate history...just sayin like.....rant over haha
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Re: Bridestones by coldrum on Monday, 05 December 2011
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From Pastscape:

"The Bridestones Neolithic chambered long cairn.
The monument is located on the W flank of Cloud Hill, a ridge forming a prominent N extension of Biddulph Moor, with extensive views across the Cheshire plain to the W. The chambered tomb measures 6m x 2.7m, made of large stone slabs set on edge and divided into two by a now broken cross slab. South of the chamber's entrance is a portal stone standing 3m high while N of the entrance is a re-positioned portal stone 1.2m high. To the E of the chamber is a forecourt originally surrounded by a complete or partial circle of stones of which three survive.

Limited excavation of the forecourt during the 1930s revealed
cobbling which included a charcoal layer containing flint blades and
a flint scraper. The long cairn covering the chamber was recorded
in 1764 as being c.110m long and 11m wide. It was largely carted
away for roadmaking that year. A second chamber in the centre of the
mound was recorded as measuring c.2.2m square x 1m high, and a third
chamber was noticed in 1766. A plan of the monument in 1766 shows
four portal stones - two N and two S of the chamber's entrance.
The forecourt was surrounded by six stones in semi-circular form
with two conjectural stones completing the circle. Two stones stood
within the circle and two stood outside the circle to the E.
Scheduled."

http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=78118
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Re: Bridestones by Andy B on Monday, 31 October 2011
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HOWARDROSE writes:

It seems to me a lot of info is missing with regards to the Bridestones. Orriginaly the name was the Bridga stones. It is the largest paved burial chamber so far found.

Where to start. Originally this millstone grit ridge ranging from Mow Cop to the Cloud formed a barrier against the last ice age. At the end of this the glacial detritus broke through the ridge leaving the gap that can now be seen between the two above mentioned points.
On the lee side of this break through one of the oldest boats to be found was discovered on the edge of the Cheshire plain marshes.(some 6000 yrs BP)

The original digs back in the 30s did not do justice to this site.
Picture this, to get to the exposed chamber you have to walk up the farm drive.

On your right is a 7-8 foot high wall. On the far side of this wall, towering above it are a lenght of stones, possibly 200ft long, covering yet more burials.

Inset into this wall, in its own niche is a squared stone, some 2-3ft high. Atop this stone is an inscribed cross, reminiscent of a theodolite mark. This stone is not a triangulation point. Put a compass on its cross and the needle just spins.....

The strange thing about these stones is they seem to on the edge of a wood, this would not have been there when first erected. For a tomb of this size you would have needed a sizeable population, a)to build it and b) to fill it.

The point the tomb is built on is the packhorse routes from the cheshire salt plains could this have been the controlling point into what we now know as staffordshire.

OK so far. What about the Hill fort, what hillfort I hear you say.
The hill fort less than half a mile away on the other side of the Cloud.
This looks out over the Cheshire plain and as far as I know has never been excavated.

The farmers Aberdine Angus watch you as you look around the site the occasinal very sweet blackberry pops into you mouth.
Below you, you can see the dish of Jodrel Bank radio telescope.In the mid distance you can see a railway bridge, built from some 18 million bricks which were originally ordered for Macclesfield and Congleton at the time of swithching to the modern size.

But still the History does not stop. The village of Astbury at the base of the hill has a church. In this church Oliver Cromwell stabled his horses, both cavalry and artillery. From the fields around Astbury church Cromwells canons fired upon the Bridestone Farm. For some reason this point in Staffordshire has always attracted attention.

Do not forget, this was not a backwards area, we have Arbour Lowe, numerous Roman things, AND Reginald Mitchel (SPITFIRE) went to and studied Engineering as I did at Hanley High School

With regards to warnings if you are checking for dog poo you should not be studying old stuff. Look up, not down

I hope this will generate more thoughts, please feel free to contact me.
PS 30 lay lines pass through the Bridga stones.
Regards H
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    Re: Bridestones by Anonymous on Wednesday, 07 October 2015
    I agree with your interesting remarks about the Bridestones. The area from the stones north to the Firth of Forth was the territory of the Brigantia tribe of Celts whose name derives from the goddess, as you probably know. I have posted new info on the stones today, 7th October, 2015, under the name 'anonymous' because I cannot log into the MP site. I trust you find my additions informative. Draconis.
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Archive photos of the excavation of the Bridestones in 1936-37 by Andy B on Friday, 15 April 2011
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Astronomer (Kevin Kilburn) writes: The Bridestones were excavated and partially restored in 1936-37 by Prof. H.J. Fleure of Manchester University. The excavation was documented by Margaret Dunlop MA in the Lancashire & Cheshire Antiquarion Soc. Vol 53. During the excavation, Mr. G. Ech Roger Jr. of Bridestones House took a series of pictures that to date it is thought have not been published. The glass negatives are now owned by historian Doug Pickford and it is with his permission that they are now presented.
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Re: Bridestones by coldrum on Wednesday, 31 March 2010
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Street View


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Bridestones on YouTube by TimPrevett on Monday, 26 March 2007
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A brief ramble around the Bridestones

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    Re: Bridestones on YouTube by Anonymous on Saturday, 14 November 2009

    being female and on my own i need to know is it safe to visit. Are the dogs still there and is access allowed.
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Bridestones - Quarry & Rotweiler by TimPrevett on Saturday, 16 September 2006
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Was at the Bridestones first light this morning. The quarry (when did that happen?) is in swing, and Rotweiler happy about his business. He was in a large enclosure of his own, where dogs used to be kept to. There is also a kennel just beyond the entrance to the quarry. Dog faeces around the Bridestones, so one assumes, yes this pooch does roam at times. He mouthed off at me for a while, but got used to me after a while. Access to the Bridestones themselves, in theory, remains unaffected. I had a good half hour there poking around.
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Re: Bridestones - a warning to the curious! / access by TimPrevett on Sunday, 10 September 2006
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Access is allowed, BTW, in the enclosure. Walk up the long drive (look at the rockery on the RHS!), and then left into the enclosure.
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Re: Bridestones - a warning to the curious! by TimPrevett on Sunday, 10 September 2006
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You are not the first to have problems at the bridestones; a friend had her elderly mother intimidated here by dogs some time ago, and on many visits dog doo was all around the stones. I wrote to Cheshire County Council about the intimidating dogs, their faeces, and the rhododenron which were swallowing the western end of the stones, I think in 2002; all of these were satisfactorily actioned at the time.

Coincidentally, I hope to be there the next weekend sometime, so will feed back what I find. Cheers.
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Bridestones - a warning to the curious! by Anonymous on Sunday, 10 September 2006
I went for a walk up to the Bridestones yesterday (10/09/2006 - Saturday). They now form part of the grounds of what I think is a quarry (called Bridestones Stone), however you can see them from the road (Dial Lane). I hold my hands up to probably being in the wrong here w.r.t trespass laws, but I decided to get a closer look by walking a little way up the drive leading to the quarry to peer over the fence. However, I had only been there for a couple of minutes when I was "escorted" off the property by a substantial Rotweiller guarding the quarry premises, which is quite able to get through the quarry fence and on to the drive!
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Bridestones (Cheshire) crop marks? by TimPrevett on Friday, 11 August 2006
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Have been peering at the googlemap aerial pic of the Bridestones; if you go in about as close as you can, look south of the Bridstones' enclosure. There is a large mark that heads south, curves around, then westwards intersecting a n / s field boundary before fading out. Could this be related? Curious. Tim.
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Re: Bridestones fieldwalk by TimPrevett on Friday, 11 February 2005
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They are indeed *right* on the Cheshire / Staffs border, just inside Cheshire. They are my nearest megaliths. (There are also some others by the name of Bridestones in Yorks, I think). Cheers, Tim.
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Re: Bridestones fieldwalk by Anonymous on Friday, 11 February 2005
Are the Bride Stones on the Staffordshire/Cheshire border; what some people locally often refer to as the 'Trough stones?'
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Re: Bridestones fieldwalk by Anonymous on Monday, 24 May 2004
Condition:
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In March 2004 the long field immediately S of Bridestones was ploughed, levelled and re-seeded with grass. Mr Goodfellow gave us permission to do a fieldwalk. Although confined to the northern side of the otherwise muddy field, several interesting items were found. There was a large amount of broken modern pottery of various glazed styles, patterns and colours. Two clay pipe stems were discovered but apparently nothing of prehistoric date, except many round, whte quartz pebbles as described in 1939 as being in a layer under the BS forecourt. Some iron slag, bits of charcoal and slaked limestone from a localised patch south of the monument.

Our finds have since turned up a largish fragment of course, thick, unglazed pottery from a round pot about 6 inches in diameter. Also, two black flints. One roughly triangular, about 2cm on a side and apparently unworked. The other, rather bigger, has a straightedge that shows signs of nibbling to sharpen it. This is definately worked, and may be a small scraper.

Astronomer, Pickford and Parker.

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Re: Bridestones by PaulM on Friday, 09 April 2004
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We visited this site today (09 April 2004) and found two planning application notices pinned to the footpath sign. One is for quarrying to commence on the backslope of Bosley Cloud and the other for conversion of a house to cottages.

While at the site I found the stump of a stone protruding through the turf - one I had not noticed before. It is on your right as you enter the enclosure between two posts of the wooden fence.

It doesn't wobble when you kicked indicating htat it might go down a depth. I scratted about around it with a twig and removing some of the leaf litter showed if it was a standing stone it would have been slim but diamond shape in cross section. Without a 'proper' excavation we'll never know.
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Re: Bridestones by Vicky on Thursday, 12 July 2001
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The Bridestones is a chambered cairn lying on the Cheshire/Staffs border, and is often described as Cheshire's only megalithic monument. All that remains of it today is the main chamber, but it is originally believed to have been similar to the Clyde cairns of Scotland with a horned cairn and crescentic forecourt.

Many thousands of tons of stone were removed from the site by road builders in the 18th century, while still more were used to build the rockeries in the nearby Bridestones House and those in Tunstall Park.

Antiquarians describe the main chamber as being separated by a port holed stone and also refer to two smaller cists some 55 yards distant from this one (now destroyed). All 3 cists were originally covered by a huge mound 120 yards in length. There is much debate as to whether this mound ran east from the remaining chamber or as would seem more logical, west.
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