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no data Internal Links: External Links:The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by PaulM
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.
Note:Another cracking article by Vicky Morgan, exclusive to this site.
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The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon aug 31st 2009 showing damage on left hand side
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon aug 31st 2009 right hand side
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon aug 31st 2009 right hand side of main stones
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon aug 31st 2009 from the rear
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon aug 31 st 2009
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon Bridestones aug 31st 2009
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by ShropshireTraveller Sunset at The Bridestones tonight (03/01/09).
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon Bridestones in colour taken may 2008
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by rldixon the bridestones taken in digital infra red may 14th 2008
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by ShropshireTraveller The dragon which had lain dormant for millennia is released during a Northern Earth Walk and Megalithic Meet...
The Bridestones (Cheshire) submitted by ShropshireTraveller A Megalithic Meet and Northern Earth Walk at The Bridestones These are just the most recent 15 photos of The Bridestones (Cheshire). If you were logged in with a free user account you would be able to see our entire collection.
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1.2km N 360° Bosley Cloud (2)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SJ906634)
1.4km N 353° Bosley Cloud (1)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SJ905636)
2.0km SW 222° Shepherd's Cross* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SJ89626042)
2.8km E 92° Satan's Stone* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (SJ93406206)
3.5km E 90° St Helen's Well (Rushton Spencer)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SJ94076222)
4.7km W 275° Congleton Museum* Museum (SJ859629)
4.9km E 85° Heaton Low* Round Barrow(s) (SJ955629)
5.0km NE 56° Bosley Minn 1* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SJ939659)
5.1km NE 56° Bosley Minn 2 & 3* Standing Stones (SJ940660)
5.2km NE 55° Bosley Minn 4 & 5* Standing Stones (SJ940662)
5.9km W 266° St Marys (Astbury)* Ancient Cross (SJ847615)
5.9km SW 217° Red Cross* Ancient Cross (SJ881568)
6.1km W 267° Astbury Churchyard* Round Barrow(s) (SJ845616)
6.4km E 95° Gun Hill Standing Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SJ969612)
6.7km E 71° Bartomley Farm* Long Barrow (SJ964656)
6.7km S 191° Gawton's Well* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SJ898555)
6.8km S 191° Gawton's Stone* Modern Stone Circle / Monolith (SJ898554)
6.9km NE 56° Clulow Cross* Round Barrow(s) (SJ952674)
7.1km NE 57° Longgutter* Round Barrow(s) (SJ955674)
7.3km NE 57° Bullstones* Stone Circle (SJ956676)
7.5km N 11° Woodhouse End* Round Barrow(s) (SJ915696)
7.5km N 17° Gawsworth henge* Henge (SJ920696)
7.6km E 68° Allgreave* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SJ969665)
7.7km W 275° Loachbrook Farm* Long Barrow (SJ830634)
7.8km N 18° Broad Oak Farm* Round Barrow(s) (SJ921699)
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.
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.
Re: Bridestones fieldwalk (Score: 0) by Anonymous on Monday, 24 May 2004
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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.
Re: Bridestones fieldwalk (Score: 1) by ShropshireTraveller on Friday, 11 February 2005 (User Info | Send a Message)
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.
Bridestones (Cheshire) crop marks? (Score: 1) by ShropshireTraveller on Friday, 11 August 2006 (User Info | Send a Message)
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.
Bridestones - a warning to the curious! (Score: 0) 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!
Re: Bridestones - a warning to the curious! (Score: 1) by ShropshireTraveller on Sunday, 10 September 2006 (User Info | Send a Message)
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.
Bridestones - Quarry & Rotweiler (Score: 1) by ShropshireTraveller on Saturday, 16 September 2006 (User Info | Send a Message)
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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