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Inscribed Across the Landscape: The Cursus Monuments of Great Britain

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<< Our Photo Pages >> Westfield Farm Refuge Stone - Early Christian Sculptured Stone in Scotland in West Lothian

Submitted by Anne T on Wednesday, 11 October 2017  Page Views: 2826

Early Medieval (Dark Age)Site Name: Westfield Farm Refuge Stone Alternative Name: Torphichen Preceptory Sanctuary Stone at Westfield Farm
Country: Scotland
NOTE: This site is 3.103 km away from the location you searched for.

County: West Lothian Type: Early Christian Sculptured Stone
Nearest Town: Bathgate  Nearest Village: Westfield
Map Ref: NS94377211
Latitude: 55.930414N  Longitude: 3.692243W
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
2 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
2 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
5

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Enki visited on 10th Feb 2019 - their rating: Cond: 5 Amb: 4 Access: 4 Westfield Farm refuge stone is somewhat similar to the sanctuary stone in the churchyard at Torphichen, being a bit narrower at the base and it clearly appears to have been worked on at least two sides. It's considerably larger however. There is faint evidence of some tantalising scratchings that could possibly (with some imagination) be Ogham writing on the south face but are probably just foliage marks. Access was easy at this time of year as the shrubbery is pretty minimal, and I had no trouble finding the stone. There's a fairly clear path up the mound from the track that I took, discovering on the way back down that I'd missed the stairs that are now very overgrown.

Anne T visited on 30th Sep 2017 - their rating: Cond: 2 Amb: 2 Access: 4 Westfield Farm Refuge Stone (possibly prehistoric), West Lothian: Our last day for exploring before heading home, and this was a day we’d set aside during the week to try and find some of the refuge stones associated with Torphichen Preceptory. We didn’t have a detailed map for this area, and didn’t pass a place to buy one, so had to make do with mobile phones and Canmore records. The Westfield Farm Refuge Stone is situated to the east of Westfield Village, south of the B8047, near a ‘fish food factory’. Driving through Westfield village on the B8028, we turned right onto the B8047 and followed it round a couple of bends and found the factory. Just before the factory, located on a bend, I spotted a sign saying ‘Refuge Stone’, heading off south east through some wasteland. We managed to park just by the sign, in a small layby which had been used for fly-tipping. Following the very vague footpath through the wooded area, this eventually disappeared and we were left surrounded by birch trees and weeds. Through the shrubbery there was a mound, and peering closer, there was a set of very overgrown steps that had been cut into the bank. Climbing up these, and hunting around some more, we finally spotted this much neglected stone virtually hidden in the weeds. I trod down some of the taller weeds to see the stone more clearly. A treasure, but one hidden away in a tumble of brambles, nettles and detritus. It looked as if no-one had visited this stone in a long time. I was very pleased to have found it.



Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3.5 Ambience: 3 Access: 4

Westfield Farm Refuge Stone
Westfield Farm Refuge Stone submitted by Anne T : One of the other faces of the stone, where it shows slight traces of damage, presumably from having been toppled and re-erected. If the 1998 excavation report from Historic Scotland is correct, this stone may be prehistoric and associated with a larger prehistoric site, maybe having been reused as a Refuge Stone after the establishment of Torphichen Preceptory. (Vote or comment on this photo)
Refuge Stone, possibly originally part of a larger prehistoric landscape, in West Lothian

Recorded as Canmore ID 48010, their records tell us that the Maltese Cross engraved on this stone was recorded as having been effaced by 1951. It had apparently fallen during Home Guard manoeuvres, but sometime between the end of WW2 and 1998, it had been re-erected in an old field bank.

More excitingly, in 1998 a small excavation was carried out. The stone was originally thought to be associated with Torphichen Preceptory but "it now appears that the stone may be part of a much larger, possibly prehistoric, site. The 2 x 2m trench uncovered a stone-built structure, greater than the size of the trench. As the structure appeared to be too large to excavate and define within the restraints of the contract, the trench was immediately backfilled once recording was completed."

This stone is signposted as 'The Refuge Stone', south east of Westfield Village off the B8047, just before reaching what was described to us as the 'fish food factory' (but is actually a producer of nutrition/food for fish) and near the now demolished paper mill site. Following the disused footpath south, this eventually disappears after just over 100 metres and you are left in a small clearing with a mound rising up to your left hand side. Pushing through the shrubbery, there is a very overgrown set of steps which lead up to the top of the mound. The stone can be found towards the edge of the mound as it drops down to the field below, more or less directly in front of the steps.

This stone is also featured on Ancient Stones: A Guide to Standing Stones and Stone Circles in the South of Scotland - see their entry for Refuge Stone, Westfield, Torphichen, whic includes a description, directions for finding this site together with nearby parking and fieldnotes.
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Westfield Farm Refuge Stone
Westfield Farm Refuge Stone submitted by Enki : Westfield Farm refuge stone February 2019 (Vote or comment on this photo)

Westfield Farm Refuge Stone
Westfield Farm Refuge Stone submitted by Anne T : The stone looked very different shapes, depending on which face you looked at. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Westfield Farm Refuge Stone
Westfield Farm Refuge Stone submitted by Anne T : A little like the Torphichen Preceptory Refuge stone, the stone is shaped, being narrower at the bottom. This was the case on only one of the sides of this sadly neglected stone. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Westfield Farm Refuge Stone
Westfield Farm Refuge Stone submitted by Anne T : The stone seen from the north west, to get a view of it out of direct sunlight. (Vote or comment on this photo)

Westfield Farm Refuge Stone
Westfield Farm Refuge Stone submitted by Anne T : Arriving at the top of the very overgrown set of steps, the stone is quite hard to spot amidst all the shrubbery and weeds.

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Nearby sites listing. In the following links * = Image available
 1.8km SE 135° North Couston Refuge Stone* Early Christian Sculptured Stone (NS95637078)
 2.5km E 80° Torphichen Churchyard Stone* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NS96847250)
 3.0km SW 219° Hillhouse (Torphichen) Standing Stone (Menhir) (NS92456984)
 3.8km ENE 73° Gormyre* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NS98067311)
 4.2km E 87° Lower Craigmailing (Torphichen)* Ancient Cross (NS98627222)
 4.4km E 93° Cairnpapple Hill* Round Cairn (NS98727175)
 4.4km SSW 206° Boar Stone (Armadale)* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (NS92336820)
 4.7km E 81° Craigmailing Boundary Marker (Torphichen)* Marker Stone (NS99097270)
 4.8km E 98° Knock Stone Circle* Modern Stone Circle etc (NS99137133)
 5.0km ESE 116° Galabraes* Standing Stone (Menhir) (NS9881869839)
 5.0km ENE 68° Kipps Farm* Round Cairn (NS99087387)
 5.1km ENE 62° Cockleroy Hill (Beecraigs)* Hillfort (NS98947438)
 5.7km NE 53° Williamcraigs Standing Stone* Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (NS99037544)
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 11.1km NW 312° Watling Lodge, Antonine Wall* Ancient Village or Settlement (NS86347982)
 14.7km ENE 67° Justice Stone Standing Stone (Menhir) (NT08087759)
 14.9km SE 139° Cromwell's Stone (West Calder) Natural Stone / Erratic / Other Natural Feature (NT03986068)
 15.4km N 0° Gubber Hill Standing Stone (Menhir) (NS948875)
 15.4km ENE 62° Abercorn Sculptured Stone (NT08147910)
 15.4km N 354° Market Cross (Kincardine)* Ancient Cross (NS9312087515)
 16.1km N 356° Greenfield Park, Alloa Stone Row / Alignment (NS935882)
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