<< Our Photo Pages >> Stones monoliths, Todmorden - Standing Stones in England in Yorkshire (West)
Submitted by DavidRaven on Wednesday, 17 November 2010 Page Views: 33049
Date UncertainSite Name: Stones monoliths, Todmorden Alternative Name: Central Hill; Beacon HillCountry: England County: Yorkshire (West) Type: Standing Stones
Nearest Town: Todmorden Nearest Village: Stones
Map Ref: SD92522359
Latitude: 53.708679N Longitude: 2.114797W
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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rldixon has visited here
The first one's a curious thing! Standing maybe twelve feet high, spindley, with what looks like holes on the surface, for attaching a gate. It sits on a large circular stone, like a mill-stone. According to the 1912 geological survey map of the area, there was no stone here, it’s thought to have ‘appeared’ there sometime between 1912 and 1921. Perhaps it was moved there to replace a missing stone?
The mound on which it stands is called Centre Hill, but is also known locally as Beacon Hill, indicating it’s use in times past.
Just to the west of Centre Hill, in the adjacent field, stands the tallest and most impressive of the group. Again, a good twelve feet high.
Travel north-west up Stones Lane and you find the next monolith. Sitting in a field on the left, only four-and-a-half-feet tall, it's easy to miss as it lies near the dry-stone wall.
This stone had a counterpart originally. It was still standing during the early fifties, but it isn’t today. However, at the point where the older maps show it's position, there now lies a spring. A trough of stones has been arranged around the opening where lies a stone, about five feet long, said to be the lost menhir. It now forms part of the ‘basin’ that holds the spring water for the farm's livestock.
The Northern Antiquarian (TNA) features a page for these standing stones - see their entry for Stones Farm, Todmorden, West Yorkshire, which places the stones as SD 92520 23593 and SD 92256 23800. TNA give directions for finding these stones, together with recent photographs, an image of the 1911 OS map showing the location of the stones, and descriptions.
Beacon Hill is recorded as Pastscape Monument No. 46121 which refers to the alternative name of Central Hill and the site of a nearby beacon at SD 9255 2369 (just to the north of the southernmost stone and north of the farm buildings), adding: "No trace of the beacon remains. A stone pillar has been erected on its site." These stones are also scheduled as Historic England List ID 1230971 which places these stones at SD 9252 2359 and SD 9225 2380 and tells us the earliest reference to these stones is during the time of Henry III (1216 to 1272).
The Journal of Antiquities also includes an entry for these standing stones - see their page for Standing Stones At Stones, Near Todmorden, West Yorkshire, which refers to three standing stones (presumably the two standing stones mentioned in HE and the pillar which marked the site of the beacon?). The Journal includes photographs, a description and a list of reference sources for more information. They also mention a well, just to the south of the stone at SD 9225 2380: "A little to the south of this stone, close to the wall, there is a well that has a ‘good’ constant supply of fairly clear water that comes down from the low hillside above. At the front of the well there is a 5 foot long, flat recumbent stone; this is considered to be the former standing stone No 4. The spring apparently began to flow or re-emerge when the stone was being dug-up, according to Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian". Interestingly, Historic England list a mid 18th century plunge bath at SD 92558 23558 - see List ID 1230903
Note: Some superb new shots of these little known Yorkshire stones
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