Several large stones have been placed upright, with another balanced on top of them. They are situated in farmland, with a hedge and farm buildings behind
The Hell Stone is a Neolithic Long Barrow that had a ‘make-over’ in the mid C19th. It would have originally looked similar to the Grey Mare and Her Colts. For more on Dorset barrows visit www.pastparticipate.co.uk/post/long-barrows #25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen #southdorsetridgeway#TombTuesday
A pyramid shaped stone, with it's point upwards. It is in a flat grassy field, with some trees in the background
This stone appears isolated and is standing on its head. Look at the orientation of the banding. What happened to the other stones from this field?
#25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen
#sarsen #valleyofstones #southdorsetridgeway #FarminginProtectedLandscapes
The Nine Stones, near Winterbourne Abbas is a small stone circle made with sarsens, probably from the #valleyofstones.
#25sarsensofchristmas
#dailysarsen #stonecircle #solstice
One of our volunteers surveyed this stone in the summer. It looks as though it might have been used for grinding something, at some point!
#dailysarsen #25sarsensofchristmas
#valleyofstones #grindingstone
#fundinginprotectedlandscapes #heritagefunduk
A grassy bank with a 2 stones just visible
These sarsens appear to be underneath a field lynchet. There has long been speculation over the date of the field systems in the Valley of Stones?
#25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen #valleyofstones
@NaturalEngland
@heritagefunduk.bsky.social
A mound covered in ivy is visible in the centre of the photo. It is surrounded by grass and there is a war memorial with poppy wreath in the background
A rather large sarsen was used for the grave stone of John Galpin, a vicar in Portesham who died in 1681. I think it's this one currently covered in ivy. Does anyone have photos before the ivy grew?
#25sarsensofchristmas
#dailysarsen #tombtuesday #portesham #dorset
A black and white photo showing a series of large stones arranged in a semi circle. There is also a fence cutting across the front of the image. Photo: Colley March, H. 1908a 'The Third Summer Meeting: Portesham and Bridehead District', Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History & Antiquarian Field Club, vol 29, lxxiii-lxxix.
A plan showing how the stone circle changed between 1939 and 1965
6 stones were recorded by Piggott at the Hampton Stone circle in 1939. In 1965 Wainwright were recorded 28 during excavation, none were in their original settings!
#25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen
#prehistory #megalithicmonday
2 people are standing pointing into the distance. They are surrounded by some large stones, in a grass field with blue sky behind.
These stones are on the top of the ridge. They must have been brought up here by people but we don't know when. They have been left in this arrangement by a modern farmer!
#25sarsensofchristmas
#dailysarsen #FarminginProtectedLandscapes #StandingStoneSunday
This is a map showing the extent of the natural sarsen field on Tenants Hill. People may have moved large stones across significant distances for specific purposes but they were unlikely to have carried the smaller ones.
#25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen #FarminginProtectedLandscapes
A large stone with an excavated area behind it. There are lots of small stones in parts of the excavated area
What should you expect to find when digging around sarsens? More sarsens!
We excavated a small area near the polissoir, and found many, many, small sarsens underneath the topsoil.
#25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen
#sarsen #Neolithic #valleyofstones #FarminginProtectedLandscapes
A high kerb, with large long flat stones running along the edge of the pavement and on top of a small wall built from small stones
Sarsen Street Furniture?
We think these kerb stones in Abbotsbury are made out of sarsen stone. If anyone is walking past, give them a poke and let us know. Very hard probably = sarsen.
#25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen
#sarsen #FarminginProtectedLandscapes #Abbotsbury #HeritageFundUK
A stone wall, mostly built with small bricks but some large sarsen boulder can be seen lower down. There is a stream in front of the wall and a graveyard visible behind
We’ve focused our research so far on the Valley of Stones, but there is also a natural deposit of sarsen stones in Portesham, just down the way. These have been built into the infrastructure of the village
#25sarsensofchristmas
#dailysarsen #FarminginProtectedLandscapes #portesham #HeritageFundUK
Several stones lying at different angles are visible in the foreground. In the background there are lots of stones scattered across a grassy field
A large stone is lying on an angle, with smaller stones either side. It is in a grassy field, with a hill behind.
In 1908 these stones were described as ‘a collapsed dolmen’ by the Dorset Field Club. We hope to investigate further-it is an unusual location for this type of monument.
#25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen #valleyofstones #FarminginProtectedLandscapes #TombTuesday @heritagefunduk.bsky.social
This is one of the stones that kicked off Jim’s thinking about sarsens on Tenants Hill. It is buried at the bottom of a hedge bank.
#25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen #FarminginProtectedLandscapes @heritagefunduk.bsky.social
A circle of large stones in a grassy field
This small circle of stones in the Valley of Stones is the remnants of a bronze or iron age house. The house itself would have been built out of wood, just using the stones for additional external support.
#25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen
#sarsen #valleyofstones #FarminginProtectedLandscapes
A large stone with visible banding
This is a typical sarsen stone in the Valley of Stones. You can clearly see the different layers of geological deposits.
#25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen
#sarsen #Livingamongstthesarsens #valleyofstones #FarminginProtectedLandscapes @heritagefunduk.bsky.social
A semicircle of stones in a grassy field. There are also other stones nearby
In a grass valley some banks are visible near a collection of large stones
When is a circle of stones not a stone circle?
When it forms a D shape and has house platforms nearby. This is probably a medieval sheep enclosure.
#25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen #sarsen #valleyofstones #FarminginProtectedLandscapes
A large stone, with moss
A large stone partially covered in bramble, with stones and trees in the background
This stone is huge. It’s a contender for the largest stone in the Valley of Stones. Interestingly it has avoided being broken up. Why has it survived?
#25sarsensofchristmas #dailysarsen
#sarsen #valleyofstones #dorset #FarminginProtectedLandscapes @naturalengland.bsky.social
Part of a stone that looks a bit like a turtles head
An irregularly shaped sarsen stone that looks a bit like a turtle
This is a stone we have affectionately called ‘the turtle stone’. It is one of 18 in the Kingston Russell Stone Circle.
#25sarsensofchristmas
© Rebecca Pullan
#sarsen #Neolithic #southdorsetridgeway #FarminginProtectedLandscapes @englishheritage.bsky.social
Large upright stones sit in sunlight at the end of a grassy mound
A grassy mound with large stones at the far end
Large upright stones sit in front of a grassy mound
The Grey Mare and her Colts is a Neolithic burial monument. 4 large sarsens were placed in front of the entrance once it was no longer used.
#25sarsensofchristmas
#sarsen #Neolithic #southdorsetridgeway #TombTuesday #FarminginProtectedLandscapes @Gorwellfarm
© Past Participate
A large upright stone is standing by a signpost
The Moot Stone marks the meeting point of 4 parish boundaries: the word Moot means ‘Meeting place’. It has been moved slightly in recent times; but was probably first erected in prehistory.
#25sarsensofchristmas
#sarsen #FarminginProtectedLandscapes #megalithicmonday
© Past Participate
Large sarsen stones are lying in a grassy valley
We’re recording more than 1500 sarsens in the Valley of Stones, Dorset. Follow us for the next 25 days to hear what sarsens can tell us about people in this landscape.
#25sarsensofchristmas
#sarsen #FarminginProtectedLandscapes
@naturalengland.bsky.social
@historicengland
© Historic England
