<< Our Photo Pages >> The Temple, Llandrindod Wells - Stone Circle in Wales in Powys
Submitted by TimPrevett on Sunday, 22 September 2002 Page Views: 11718
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: The Temple, Llandrindod Wells Alternative Name: Temple GardensCountry: Wales
NOTE: This site is 1.5 km away from the location you searched for.
County: Powys Type: Stone Circle
Nearest Town: Llandrindod Wells
Map Ref: SO0598261105 Landranger Map Number: 147
Latitude: 52.240075N Longitude: 3.378306W
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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TimPrevett has visited here
I've been researching this on two visits over the summer, and have yet to complete it. The circle, if ever there was one, is now completely gone.
I e-mailed the tourist information about it, and called in person. Both received a helpful attitude, but "sorry, we don't know". The neighbouring Radnorshire Museum is closed until Spring 2006, but will be e-mailed. A visit and request at Llandrindod Wells library, amazingly, had completely no information on the stones. The librarian was very helpful, and picked up some local history books in the local section - but had nothing on the stones. The librarian remarked, "Oh, we've not had someone ask about this before".
Another person in the library (member of public) added, "there used to be some stones as a shrine to the Triple Goddess in the Temple Gardens", but could name no source or authority on the matter. If ever the stones were a shrine to the 'Triple Goddess', it may tie in to the name "Llandrindod" which means 'The Sacred Enclosure of the Holy Trinity', picking up on the Trinitarian link.
A visit to the Temple Gardens, and finding the Heritage Trail sign gave this information
The origin of the name Temple Gardens is somewhat contentious. Myth has grown up that the name comes from having been the site of an ancient stone circle, a 'Druid Temple'. One source suggests the area had tumuli (burial mounds) which were open and contained human remains.
The earliest documentary evidence from 1867 records a stone circle which was created from stones that were marking the course of a Roman Road across the common. It would appear that the stones were certainly placed in a circle on Temple Gardens in the 1890s by council officials. Legend has it that the water carriers, who transported water from the Rock Park springs to the hotels and boarding houses used to tie their donkeys to the stones.
In the early 1900s, the area was divided into separate gardens for the surrounding hotels and included tennis courts and croquet lawns. The stones were moved and placed in the various dividing hedges until they were finally removed in 1990 when the gardens were unified as a public area.
It would appear that the stone circle on Temple Gardens was in fact a Victorian folly and that the association of the name 'temple' with the gardens was most probably a Victorian invention. It is possible, however, that the stones themselves may well have come from a Prehistoric Stone Circle nearby dating from the Bronze Age."
But where are the stones now...?
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