Conservation work begins at the Nine Ladies

Submitted by PaulM on Tuesday, 11 March 2003 Page Views: 1539

The Peak District National Park and English Heritage have announced that the conservation work on the 4,000-year-old Nine Ladies Stone Circle at Stanton Moor in Derbyshire was started today (11 March 2002).

The project, costing over £12,000, is aimed at halting and repairing the erosion and damage suffered over the years. Ground levels and worn paths around the circle, a Scheduled Monument, will be restored and reinforced to reduce future erosion from foot traffic.

English Heritage has been liaising closely with Peak District National Park Authority, Stanton-in-Peak and Birchover Parish Councils, landowners and neighbours to research and discuss a suitable restoration scheme for the Bronze Age stone circle.

Tim Walker, English Heritage Regional Landscape Manager, said: "This very important site has become a victim of its own popularity. Up to 10cm of erosion has occurred in places, and we are confident that the work will reverse this damage and ensure that this historic site can still be enjoyed by future generations.

"Stanton Moor, and in particular, Nine Ladies, is a very attractive part of the Peak District National Park, and these works will help to improve the appearance of this area."

The Nine Ladies embanked stone-circle and the outlying King Stone are two of the prehistoric monuments in an extensive archaeologically-rich landscape of Stanton Moor in the Peak District of Derbyshire. They have been the centre of attention since the 1780s and were one of four Derbyshire monuments listed on the original Schedule of Ancient Monuments in the 1880s.

This Bronze Age stone circle is 15 metres (50 feet) across. It is part of an extensive landscape containing many field systems and ancient settlements and religious sites on Stanton Moor in Derbyshire.

Contributor Bio for PaulM: Based in Macclesfield, contributing since 2002. Favourite site: Hordron Edge. Occupation: Something in waste and recycling.

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