<< Our Photo Pages >> The Horestone (Rodborough) - Standing Stone (Menhir) in England in Gloucestershire
Submitted by 4clydesdale7 on Saturday, 22 October 2011 Page Views: 12502
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: The Horestone (Rodborough)Country: England County: Gloucestershire Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Nearest Town: Stroud Nearest Village: Rodborough
Map Ref: SO85740239
Latitude: 51.720050N Longitude: 2.207828W
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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External Links:
I have visited· I would like to visit
TimPrevett visited on 3rd Jan 2025 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Visited on a bright winter day, the stone is slightly up from what has become a parking bay, well outside the last of the three properties in this cul-de-sac. The laurel seen in photos quite a few years back has been kept from swallowing seeing the stone. 10 digit grid reference from the OS app while leaning on the stone is SO 85742 02389, and I know some find it helpful, what3words is alongside.tame.forgot . The stone is well outside private property boundaries, but nevertheless one feels very conspicuous poking around!
lichen couldn't find on 11th Oct 2014
4clydesdale7 visited on 21st Oct 2011 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 4 Access: 4 This took a lot of research and the result was worth it - the Horestone is as impressive as the other Minchinhampton Ancient Stones - just took some finding - greatest help from a local lady 'in a hurry' who really was most kind and also aid from the Secretary of the Minchinhampton Local History Society who 'pointed me in the right direction'
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.5 Ambience: 4 Access: 4
Anonymous sceptics on this site and those who contribute to The Modern Antiquarian seemed to scoff and pour scorn - I trust now they will eat their words. The BBC did not reveal the whereabouts of the Stone (and I think I know why - I too shall remain silent on their motive but it most surely was honourable) - rumours abounded - TMA people exclaimed loudly that the site had been declared a Scheduled Ancient Monument (impossible 5 days after it was rediscovered - no Govt Dept ever reacted that quickly!) and the Horestone disappeared back into obscurity - the Stone still has not been declared an SAM by English Heritage and it is not listed by Stroud DC as such (although their published list is 6 years out of date).
Somehow this all increased the crediblity of D.P.Sullivan in his pamphlet 'Old Stones of The Cotswolds & The Forest of Dean' (which I have criticised before on this website for its profound - at times - inaccuracy due to a perceived lack of site inspections and thorough research) - The Horestone is No 16 (on page 20/1) of his work - but he was not describing this Stone - he conceded that he thought 'his Horestone' had been fashioned into a Boundary/Marker/Milestone - but to be frank he was absolutely wrong about it being anything other than a medieval boundary stone - as my photographs will show.
I have seen both the Forbes/Davis Horestone and the Sullivan Horestone - in actual distance (on the ground) they are about 250m apart - and that is about as near it gets - I leave you to judge for yourself - I know which looks like The Long Stone The Tinglestone The Cobstone and The Hoarstone (nr Edgeworth Polo Ground on the Bathurst Estate) - they are from holey stone aka Freestone - and I hope you will agree with me (like many locals) that Stephen Davis and Clare Forbes deserve proper recognition and EH ought to declare it an SAM before too long!
Should my photographs not convince you then here are some directions -
The Sullivan Horestone is on the West side of the road between Minchinhamton and Rodborough by Ridgmont House at SO85490240 - at the point where the road crosses from Minchinhampton into Rodborough (just S of the Bear Inn) -
The Davis/Forbes Horestone is in Bownham Park and more specifically to the right of the rear driveway to Bownham House (behind a very large tree up a very short access to a much more modern house) - just before you reach the Minch-Rod boundary (going N) turn right into Bownham Park - after 50m you reach a T junction (with the front gates to Bownham House facing you) turn left into the more modern estate and follow the road downhill - almost at the bottom of the hill there is a right turn (in fact the 2nd rt) into what seems to be into a wood by the side of a modern house - park in the hammerhead (about 20m up the access) - The Horestone is immediately to your left by the iron railing fence dividing the modern house from the rear driveway of Bownham House -
Note: A decade's worth of controversy over whether this stone existed, or was just a medieval boundary stone, now put to rest after research both literary and in the field, by our contributor and Gloucestershire expert 4clydesdale7, with pictures of both.
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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
250m W 272° The Horestone (Sullivan)* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SO85490240)
769m SSW 206° Whitefield's Tump* Long Barrow (SO85400170)
1.1km NW 321° Rodborough Camp* Ancient Village or Settlement (SO85050324)
1.1km SSW 208° Amberley Camp* Misc. Earthwork (SO852014)
1.3km NW 311° Bowl Hill Circle* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (SO8476403248)
1.3km SSW 208° Amberley Cross Bank* Misc. Earthwork (SO85130124)
1.9km WNW 292° Woodchester Roman Villa* Ancient Village or Settlement (SO8394503128)
2.0km S 181° The Bulwarks (Gloucestershire)* Ancient Village or Settlement (SO857004)
2.1km SE 142° The Cobstone* Holed Stone (SO87050070)
2.4km S 190° Beaudesert Park Standing Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SO853000)
2.5km SE 132° The Bulwarks - East 1 and 2 - Minchinhampton* Misc. Earthwork (SO87620072)
2.7km SSE 149° The Lang Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SO87170004)
2.9km SE 142° Bubblewell* Standing Stone (Menhir) (SO875001)
3.1km WNW 283° The Toots (King's Stanley)* Long Barrow (SO82700310)
3.3km N 11° The Hurdy Stone* Modern Stone Circle etc (SO8637505590)
3.4km ESE 105° Hyde Tumulus 1* Round Barrow(s) (SO89060149)
3.5km W 260° Bown Hill Long Barrow* Long Barrow (SO82290179)
3.5km ESE 108° Hyde Tumulus 2* Round Barrow(s) (SO89070130)
3.5km W 261° Bown Hill Bowl Barrow* Round Barrow(s) (SO82240184)
3.6km SE 126° Crackstone Long Barrow* Long Barrow (SO88650030)
3.6km SE 133° Long Stone (Minchinhampton)* Standing Stones (ST8835099920)
3.7km S 174° Oldfield Wood* Chambered Tomb (ST861987)
3.8km SE 135° Gatcombe Lodge* Long Barrow (ST88399972)
3.9km S 179° Hazlewood Copse Camp* Hillfort (ST85829850)
3.9km W 266° Kings Stanley Dyke* Misc. Earthwork (SO818021)
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