<< Our Photo Pages >> Higher Ridgegate - Standing Stone (Menhir) in England in Cheshire
Submitted by vicky on Friday, 03 January 2003 Page Views: 16671
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Higher Ridgegate Alternative Name: Macclesfield ForestCountry: England County: Cheshire Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Nearest Town: Macclesfield Nearest Village: Langley
Map Ref: SJ9550671636 Landranger Map Number: 118
Latitude: 53.241729N Longitude: 2.068798W
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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Regular visitors to Macclesfield Forest will be well aware of the curiously named ‘Standingstone’ car park. This must have been so named for a reason, but the question is where did this so called standing stone stand and how old was it? Various sources record a number of ‘stones’ in the area of what is today Macclesfield Forest, but unfortunately the majority have now disappeared. This one remaining standing stone, which is undoubtedly used as a rubbing post today, can be seen in a field at Higher Ridgegate to the left of the road close to the Leathers Smithy pub.
One of the best documented however, is that reported by Dr J.D.Sainter, Watkin and Earwaker once located in the same field as a tumulus to the north-west of Toot Hill (see barrows section). According to the County Sites and Monuments Record a ‘prostrate unworked stone post probably a rubbing post’ was reported by the Ordnance Survey in 1964, but sadly this could not be located on a subsequent visit in 1972. The Reverend Marriott also described and illustrated two ‘rude upright stones’ on the summit of Shutlingsloe in 1810.
Viewing
The stone can be viewed from a field entrance on the lane which forks left (off Clarke Lane) at the Leathers Smithy in Langley.
References
Rev. W. Marriott “Antiquities of Lyme” (1810)
Cheshire County Sites and Monuments Record
W.T. Watkin “Roman Cheshire”, Liverpool (1886)
J.D. Sainter “The Jottings of some Geological, Archaeological, Botanical, Ornithological and Zoological Rambles Round Macclesfield” (1878)
J.P. Earwaker “East Cheshire Past and Present” volume 2 (1880)
Note: Please note this stone is located on private land but can be easily viewed from the nearby road.
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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
334m NW 322° Teggs Nose reservoir* Round Barrow(s) (SJ953719)
427m WSW 251° High Low* Round Barrow(s) (SJ951715)
707m W 275° Langley Conical mound* Round Barrow(s) (SJ948717)
1.5km NE 51° Charity Lane II Round Barrow(s) (SJ967726)
1.5km NE 51° Charity Lane III* Round Barrow(s) (SJ967726)
1.5km NW 314° Teggs Nose Farm Round Barrow(s) (SJ944727)
1.6km E 81° Toot Hill Warilow* Round Barrow(s) (SJ971719)
1.6km ENE 77° Toot Hill* Ancient Village or Settlement (SJ971720)
1.7km ENE 63° Charity Lane I* Round Barrow(s) (SJ970724)
2.0km E 80° Rains Low* Round Barrow(s) (SJ975720)
2.3km E 97° Macclesfield Forest Ancient Cross (SJ97767136)
2.3km NW 316° Macclesfield Common II Round Barrow(s) (SJ939733)
2.3km NW 313° Macclesfield Common I Round Barrow(s) (SJ938732)
2.4km S 177° The Plague Stone* Ancient Cross (SJ9561269221)
3.0km W 264° Sutton Hall* Round Barrow(s) (SJ925713)
3.5km S 175° Cessbank Common* Round Barrow(s) (SJ958681)
3.6km NNE 26° Brock Low* Round Barrow(s) (SJ971749)
3.8km WSW 243° Broad Oak Farm* Round Barrow(s) (SJ921699)
4.0km S 179° Bullstones* Stone Circle (SJ9556867627)
4.0km WSW 240° Gawsworth henge* Henge (SJ920696)
4.1km WNW 291° St Anne's Well (Macclesfield)* Holy Well or Sacred Spring (SJ917731)
4.2km S 180° Longgutter* Round Barrow(s) (SJ955674)
4.2km S 184° Clulow Cross* Round Barrow(s) (SJ952674)
4.4km NNE 12° Yearnslow* Round Barrow(s) (SJ96447597)
4.5km WSW 243° Woodhouse End* Round Barrow(s) (SJ915696)
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