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<< Our Photo Pages >> Shovel Down Fourfold Circle - Stone Circle in England in Devon

Submitted by Tom_Bullock on Saturday, 16 October 2004  Page Views: 9810

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Shovel Down Fourfold Circle Alternative Name: Shovel Down SE; Grinsell Gidleigh 3; Turner G31; Butler (map 36.7)
Country: England County: Devon Type: Stone Circle
Nearest Town: Chagford  Nearest Village: Teigncombe
Map Ref: SX65958603  Landranger Map Number: 191
Latitude: 50.658475N  Longitude: 3.897858W
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.
 4 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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Catrinm visited on 17th Sep 2023 - their rating: Cond: 3 Access: 3 Lovely little four fold circle

Anne T visited on 16th May 2019 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 5 Access: 3 Shovel Down Fourfold Stone Circle: Again, so many monuments in such a short walk – but by now, I should have stopped being surprised! At Kes Tor, Sandy G had spotted AngieLake, who had arrived a little later than us at the car park, and who had wandered about looking for us. By this time, it was lunchtime, and we were pleased to re-group and sit and take a welcome break, using the two large stones as the head of row 2 as a convenient picnic spot. Whilst everyone was sharing out their sandwiches and tea/coffee, I took a few minutes to try and photograph the small-ish stones of the fourfold stone circle, largely hidden by the grassy tussocks, but none-the-less still recognisable as a kerbed cairn, although a little similar (if smaller) than Yellowmead. With its proximity to row 2 and row 4, and other rows and features I'd not yet seen, this was an amazing spot.

SandyG visited on 28th Apr 2013 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 5 Access: 4

BolshieBoris visited on 1st Jan 2013 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 3 Access: 3 Fair walk, long stone row with a small circle at the end, good views

jeffrep visited on 21st May 2011 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4

TheCaptain cazzyjane cazzyjane have visited here

Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3 Ambience: 4.25 Access: 3.4

Shovel Down Fourfold circle
Shovel Down Fourfold circle submitted by simcon : SX659861 Shovel Down Stone Circle, Dartmoor Devon. I see this Web site lists two circles here, SE and NW. I only saw this circle which matches the description of Shovel Down SE Stone Circle. The view is looking south where the row continues to a large standing stone. Notice the two large standing stones fallen at the bottom of this picture. One has CP carved into it and the large stone over the hi... (Vote or comment on this photo)
Known as the Fourfold circle, the larger ring encloses 3 others, the innermost only 8 feet in diameter. An avenue of stones 505 feet long and 4 feet wide (Row 2) climbs to the S up a slope to approach the circle.

Circle diameter: 29 feet to 8 feet (inner), Number of stones: 10, 6, 8, 5 (inner)

This stone circle is recorded as Pastscape Monument No. 443527. It also features in the Prehistoric Dartmoor Walks website - see their entries for the Shovel Down Fourfold Circle Standing Stone, the Shovel Down Fourfold Cairn Circle and the Shovel Down Complex.

This monument is also recorded as MDV6158 (Fourfold circle on Shovel Down, Chagford) on the Devon and Dartmoor HER, and scheduled as part of Historic England List Entry No. 1017874 (The North Teign coaxial field system (western part) and associated later remains at Shovel Down, Stonetor Hill and Long Ridge).

Butler, in his "Dartmoor Atlas of Antiquities", volume 2, page 178, tells us: "The cairn at the uphill end (of row 2) is known as the Fourfold Circle from the four concentric rings of stones which surround the central pit. A slight rise within the outer ring is all that remains of the mound, most of the smaller stones from the body of the cairn having been carted away. The rings are elliptical rather than truly circular with the longer axis in the direction of the row. The outer ring has a diameter of about 9m and contains ten stones, the others six, eight and five stones respectively, though all have several gaps."

Update November 2019: This stone circle is also featured on the Stone Rows of Great Britain website, as part of their entry for Shoveldown 2, which includes photographs of this stone circle showing its relationship to the nearby stone row, plus a plan of the monuments at Shoveldown, showing their inter-relationships.
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Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by crannog : fourfold circle, double stone row. (snuggledown). SX 659 860. (6 comments - Vote or comment on this photo)

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by crannog : double stone row, fourfold circle (snuggledown) . SX 659 860. (1 comment - Vote or comment on this photo)

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by Bladup : Shovel Down Fourfold Circle with Shovel Down row 2 behind it (Vote or comment on this photo)

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by AngieLake : Looking back towards Batworthy Corner over the four-fold circle and Row 2 at Shovel Down... around mid-day, Spring Equinox 2012. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by AngieLake : Looking across the four-fold circle at Shovel Down towards Kes Tor on Spring Equinox 2012.

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by AngieLake : The four-fold circle at the top of Row 2 on Shovel Down around mid-day on Spring Equinox 2012.

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by Anne T : Standing just to the south western side of the four fold stone circle, looking north over the rings of stones in this stone circle/ring cairn, over the fallen standing stone and along row 2.

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by Anne T : Standing at the head (southern end) of row 2, looking SW over the Fourfold Stone Circle, upslope. From left to right across the upper third of the photo, can be seen part of the line of row 4. Photograph taken 16th May 2019.

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by Postman : the circle

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by SandyG : View from south (Scale 1m). 5 July 2016.

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by SandyG : The elaborate cairn at the upper end of Row 2. Many cairns at the end of rows are simple unassuming structures but this one does not fall into that category. (28th April 2013).

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by Bladup : Shovel Down Fourfold Circle.

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by AngieLake : Looking approx SW over the Fourfold circle with Row 4 (Worth's C-F) running from right to left uphill over Shovel Down, in the background.

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by AngieLake : Looking across the Fourfold Circle towards the higher point of Row 4 (Worth's C-F).

Shovel Down Fourfold Circle
Shovel Down Fourfold Circle submitted by AngieLake : The Fourfold circle, looking approx NW towards Cosdon. The two larger stones centre right are the fallen 'portal' stones at high end of Row 2 (Worth's A-B).

Shovel Down Fourfold circle
Shovel Down Fourfold circle submitted by mattimpey : A picture looking down over the Shovel down Fourfold circle (one of several on Dartmoor) and the stone row which leads to it.

Shovel Down Fourfold circle
Shovel Down Fourfold circle submitted by mattimpey : The Shovel Down Fourfold circle looking SE. The longer of the two stone rows on Shovel Down can be seen in the background snaking over the hill in the background.

Shovel Down Fourfold circle
Shovel Down Fourfold circle submitted by mattimpey : A picture of the Shovel Down Fourfold circle with Kestor rock in the background.

Shovel Down Fourfold circle
Shovel Down Fourfold circle submitted by bolshieboris : Shovel Down concentric circle, showing part of row - 13-8-97

Shovel Down Fourfold circle
Shovel Down Fourfold circle submitted by thecaptain : The cairn at the upper end Shovel Down row 2 avenue is a nice little monument, known as the Fourfold Circle. What is left are four concentric rings of stone slabs surrounding a central pit. The stones are set on edge, with their flat faces facing in towards the centre of the cairn. Viewed here looking northeast along row 2 with Batworthy Corner down the hill.

Shovel Down Fourfold circle
Shovel Down Fourfold circle submitted by thecaptain : The cairn at the upper end Shovel Down row 2 avenue is a nice little monument, known as the Fourfold Circle. Obviously once a mound of diameter about 9 metres, as with most of the Shovel Down sites, most of the stones have been removed for wallbuilding. What is left are four concentric rings of stone slabs surrounding a central pit. The stones are set on edge, with their flat faces facing in towar...

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 40m S 178° Shovel Down* Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (SX65958599)
 85m SSE 158° Shovel Down row 4* Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (SX65988595)
 143m NNW 334° Shovel Down row 3* Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (SX65898616)
 149m SSE 159° Shovel Down Cairn Row 4* Cairn (SX66008589)
 170m N 359° Shovel Down row 2* Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (SX65958620)
 177m NNE 15° Shovel Down row 1* Stone Row / Alignment (SX660862)
 198m SW 228° Shovel Down Settlement* Ancient Village or Settlement (SX658859)
 214m NW 321° Shovel Down stone circle* Stone Circle (SX65828620)
 231m SSE 161° Shovel Down row 5* Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (SX66028581)
 359m SSE 166° The Longstone (Shovel Down)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SX66038568)
 433m S 172° Shovel Down row 6* Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (SX660856)
 556m S 170° Three Boys* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SX66038548)
 592m SSE 163° Thornworthy Corner North Cist (SX66118546)
 631m ENE 65° Kes Tor Cairn* Cairn (SX6653286277)
 632m S 174° Shovel Down row 7* Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (SX660854)
 648m ENE 66° Kes Tor Rock Basin* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (SX66558628)
 651m ENE 61° Kestor Settlement* Ancient Village or Settlement (SX66538633)
 779m WSW 238° Stonetor Brookhead East Cist (SX65288563)
 895m SW 230° Stonetor Hill Cairn Circle* Cairn (SX6525085470)
 928m ENE 57° Modern Stone Circle near Kestor Rock* Modern Stone Circle etc (SX66748652)
 930m NNE 27° The Round Pound* Ancient Village or Settlement (SX66398685)
 1.0km SW 227° Stonetor Hill Stone Ring Cairn Circle Ring Cairn (SX65198535)
 1.1km NNW 335° The Tolmen Stone (Dartmoor)* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (SX65508708)
 1.2km SE 142° Thornworthy Down Stone Row / Alignment (SX66688505)
 1.3km NNW 337° Scorhill Cairn and Rows* Multiple Stone Rows / Avenue (SX65488721)
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"Shovel Down Fourfold Circle" | Login/Create an Account | 2 News and Comments
  
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Re: Shovel Down SE by TheCaptain on Friday, 15 October 2004
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Shovel Down Fourfold Cairn Circles, Dartmoor, Devon SX65958603, visited 10 Oct 2004.

The cairn at the upper end of the row 2 avenue is a nice little monument, known as the Fourfold Circle. Obviously once a mound of diameter about 9 metres, as with most of the Shovel Down sites, most of the stones have been removed for wallbuilding. What is left are four concentric rings of stone slabs surrounding a central pit. The stones are set on edge, with their flat faces facing in towards the centre of the cairn.

I have to admit to being initially quite disappointed by this, expecting something more akin to the Yellowmead fourfold circle, but this is only a fraction of the size, and much less complete. Unusual in only that just the stone rings remain, I personally think there is nothing unusual in this cairn, as many other cairns which are to be found on Dartmoor seem to be constructed on top of concentric rings of slabs, its just that they are not so obvious as the cairns still have some of the mound itself remaining at these other sites. A good example of a complete cairn of this type, to my way of thinking, would be the one at the top of Cosdon Hill, where the tops of several concentric rings of slabs can be seen just poking through the top of the mound.
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Re: Shovel Down SE by simcon on Monday, 22 September 2003
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Condition|Ambience|Access in my opinion is 354. 5 for ambience is subjective but taking the magnificent surrounding rows and the landscape into account it should not be given anything less. I have another picture of this looking in the opposite direction towards Scorhill. I will post it to illustrate my point.
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