<< Our Photo Pages >> The Wimblestone - Standing Stone (Menhir) in England in Somerset

Submitted by PhilW on Saturday, 11 May 2024  Page Views: 19486

Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: The Wimblestone Alternative Name: Old Wimble
Country: England County: Somerset Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Nearest Town: Weston-super-Mare  Nearest Village: Star
Map Ref: ST43355848  Landranger Map Number: 172
Latitude: 51.322588N  Longitude: 2.814348W
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
 3 Ambience:
5Superb
4Good
3Ordinary
2Not Good
1Awful
0No data.
 3 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
 4

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philw visited on 22nd Aug 2020 - their rating: Cond: 4 Amb: 4 Access: 3 easy access through a field

hamish have visited here

The Wimblestone
The Wimblestone submitted by philw : Taken 22-08-2020 (Vote or comment on this photo)
A triangular shaped standing stone 1.8m tall with a hole through it, near Winscombe in Somerset. Additional stones were thought to have once been nearby. Local traditions state there is a treasure hidden beneath the stone and that the stone ‘walks’ when it either hears the clock strike twelve or between the hours of midnight and dawn and it is said that during its nocturnal wanderings a heap of shining gold has been seen glistening in the moonlight. Allegedly a farmer once tried to remove it with chains and two horses but failed.

The Wimblestone is described by D.P.Dobson in his book The Archaeology of the County of Somerset published in 1931. Located near the Ship Inn, Dobson describes it as being ‘5 feet high, by 5 feet 5 inches wide at the base, where it is 1 foot 5 inches thick’, but interestingly he makes no reference to the hole. He also refers to five large pieces of conglomerate close by and in the same field three other fairly large stones with a stony ridge leading up to them.
Page originally by Vicky

Note: There is no other megalith in Somerset or the Bristol region which has such a wealth of folklore surrounding it than "Old Wimble" - details in the comment on our page
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The Wimblestone
The Wimblestone submitted by philw : Closeup of the hole Taken 22-08-2020 (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Wimblestone
The Wimblestone submitted by philw : Taken 22-08-2020 (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Wimblestone
The Wimblestone submitted by hamish : ST433584 Somerset Nr Star village.Park in the pub carpark and tell the landlord you are going to the Wimblestone,don't ask directions or you are lost before you leave the carpark.Go up the hill to the houses and follow the lane on the right till you come to a fork.Take the left till you come to the trees on the left and start looking ,its there at the edge of a field.Good hunting. (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Wimblestone
The Wimblestone submitted by philw : Taken 22-08-2020 (Vote or comment on this photo)

The Wimblestone
The Wimblestone submitted by Bladup : The Wimblestone.

The Wimblestone
The Wimblestone submitted by Bladup

The Wimblestone
The Wimblestone submitted by Bladup

The Wimblestone
The Wimblestone submitted by Bladup

The Wimblestone
The Wimblestone submitted by hamish : ST433584 Somerset Nr Star Village,

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"The Wimblestone" | Login/Create an Account | 5 News and Comments
  
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Re: The Wimblestone by Anonymous on Tuesday, 02 July 2024
We found it but it was really difficult. The landowner has blocked it off with five different gates and lots of signage. Not sure if they're legally allowed to do so but they have! The stone is quite overgrown with brambles but was very beautiful and very worth the effort.

Such a shame to see a stone with such legend surrounding it disappear behind fences and signs.

Coordinates are correct
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Wimblestone Folklore by Andy B on Saturday, 11 May 2024
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There is no other megalith in Somerset or the Bristol region which has such a wealth of folklore surrounding it than “Old Wimble”. Difficult to find and away from pub lic footpaths in the upper valley of Towerhead Brook, this six foot high wedge-like slab of dolomitic conglomerate appears more animate than simple stone. It is certainly the most atmospheric of the west Mendip monoliths and it is not hard to sympathise with the derivation of its name from the local dialect word for quick or lively.

There are two strands of lore surrounding The Wimblestone: that it can walk freely over the countryside and that it sits on a pile of gold. Numerous tales are told of people trying to uproot the stone and claim its treasure, such as that of the man who hitched his mighty team of oxen to the stone but as they took the strain they all fell down dead. Another farmer tried with his two strongest horses but even when he tugged as well, the task was fruitless and they crept home beaten and exhausted. As soon as they were out of sight Old Wimble uprooted himself and ranged over the hills to the Waterstone at Wrington, 9km to the north-east, to take a drink at its never-failing basin of water and tell it of the farmer’s stupidity.

A general belief says that misfortune will fall on those who dig for the treasure, but others have seen the prize by chance, such as the haymaker Zebedee Fry who, walking down Shipham Lane one night, saw the Wimblestone dancing around its field and a pile of gold lying where it had stood. It is said that the stone dances on the first moon in May but on other nights he is content to simply walk and does so when he hears the clock strike twelve. On one of his rambles Wimble got tired and lay down for a rest. In the moonlight a farmer mistook him for a trespassing cow and gave him a blow with his stick.

Infuriated, the stone reared up and rolled at the terrified man who fled to Rowberrow churchyard. The stone could not enter the consecrated ground and stood outside all night; the trembling farmer has to wait there until dawn when Wimble was forced to roll home.
Source and References: Phil Quinn's article The Forgotten Stones of
West Mendip, in 3rd Stone Issue 25 (Spring 1997) page 15
Download from here.
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Re: The Wimblestone by dooclay on Tuesday, 16 May 2023
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Landowner most definitely does not want visitors crossing his field to see it. New signs now insist on private land, no right of access, no right if way.
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Re: The Wimblestone by Anonymous on Friday, 25 July 2008
Well useful site, keep up the good work, but your latitude & longitude coordinates for the Wimblestone near Star put it somewhere in the middle of the Bristol Channel! The correct coordinates are (I think) 51 19 16.77N by 2 48 49.53W.
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Re: The Wimblestone by MarionBenham on Thursday, 18 December 2003
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I've not managed to visit this site yet- the timing of public transport to the area is a little scarey!
The stone is triangular (like a shark fin) and has a hole near the base. From pictures I have seen the hole is elliptical not round.
It has some of the usual legends associated with it- it dances round the field between midnight and dawn, will follow people and will go down to the river to drink. It also guards a treasure which can be seen through the hole while the stone is in motion.
I think a wimble is a stone mason's boring tool.
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