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How and why the ancients enchanted Great Britain and Brittany

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<< Our Photo Pages >> Popping Stone - Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature in England in Cumbria

Submitted by kentigern on Sunday, 04 September 2005  Page Views: 7228

Natural PlacesSite Name: Popping Stone
Country: England County: Cumbria Type: Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature
Nearest Town: Haltwhistle  Nearest Village: Gilsland
Map Ref: NY63556815
Latitude: 55.006569N  Longitude: 2.571424W
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.
5 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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Popping Stone
Popping Stone submitted by kentigern : The Popping Stone today. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Sculptured Stone in Cumbria

Nowadays, the Popping Stone is a group of three rounded sandstone boulders located in the Irthing Gorge, near Gilsland. It lies within the extensive grounds of the Gilsland Spa Hotel on the Cumbrian or west side of the River Irthing, which here defines the county boundary. The Popping Stone is marked on the 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey maps and can be reached by footpaths, although the last section can be very muddy in wet weather. The hotel welcomes the use of its large car park and the enjoyment of the wooded grounds by visitors, particularly if they decide to take advantage of the excellent hospitality available!

The secluded site is at the northern end of a 250m-long riverside meadow or haugh stretching from the Popping Stone Footbridge and narrowing northwards. Just upstream from the stone the river bank merges with a cliff and becomes impassable except by wading. The river curves to the west along this stretch, the result being that the site of the Popping Stone is invisible from most vantage points along the eastern cliff tops.

The largest stone is now approximately 2.7m long, 1.3m high and 1.4m wide and the two smaller stones are about 70cm and 85cm in length. The Popping Stone’s present distinctive shape is due to the smoothly rounded bulges on the top of the larger stone, particularly as viewed from the east side, the grooves between the bulges seeming to result from exploitation of natural flaws in the stone running roughly at right-angles to each other. Some parts of the rounded top appear to have peck-marks, as if they had been shaped by hammering, this is especially noticeable on the southern aspect of the upper surface. The stones are set close together, and can be seen to be almost touching in old photographs but are now somewhat separated, presumably due to undermining during spates.

The Popping Stone was not always this shape, however, and old photographs show that it was dramatically reshaped during the 1870s. The change in shape is acknowledged in some later publications, though generally asserted to be a result of people chipping pieces off for their magical properties. An old postcard, unfortunately undated (image 4), shows the old shape, with figures in Victorian costume. Although probably derived from a photograph this image is heavily altered and on its own would be an unreliable guide, but I have also been able to find a fine photograph apparently dating from the early 1870s showing the same original shape.

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Popping Stone
Popping Stone submitted by kentigern : Old postcard, postmarked 1910, clearly showing the new shape of the stones. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Popping Stone
Popping Stone submitted by kentigern : Old postcard, undated but showing figures in Victorian costume, showing the old shape of the Popping Stone. Note that the right-hand end is higher, now lower, and the smaller stone in front is now two much smaller stones. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Popping Stone
Popping Stone submitted by kentigern : Photo dated to around 1870 showing the old shape of the Popping Stone (and a pretty lady). Most photos (when people are included) of the stones show young women or couples sitting on it. (Vote or comment on this photo)

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Nearby Images from Geograph Britain and Ireland:
NY6368 : Popping Stone by Tim Fish
by Tim Fish
©2006(licence)
NY6368 : The River Irthing at the Popping Stone by Karl and Ali
by Karl and Ali
©2013(licence)
NY6368 : The Popping Stone (2) by Mike Quinn
by Mike Quinn
©2015(licence)
NY6368 : The Popping Stone (3) by Mike Quinn
by Mike Quinn
©2016(licence)
NY6368 : The Popping Stone (4) by Mike Quinn
by Mike Quinn
©2016(licence)

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 335m S 181° Gilsland Spa Well* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (NY6354067815)
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 6.9km S 178° Hartleyburn Common 1e* Rock Art (NY6377261261)
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 7.0km WSW 240° Banks East Ancient Village or Settlement (NY574647)
 7.1km S 176° Hartleyburn Common 5* Rock Art (NY6396961024)
 7.6km S 175° Hartleyburn Common 3* Rock Art (NY6412160581)
 7.7km S 176° Hartleyburn Common 4 Rock Art (NY6398460470)
 7.7km NW 319° Woodhead Round Cairn* Round Cairn (NY58507402)
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