Andy Burnham's Blog, page 219

Clach An Truishal

Two new panoramic photos from Bernard Edwards: Preparing to watch over-night and Morning before Bahama Storm Dorian remnant rolls in (see above). Standing Stone in Lewis. The tallest standing stone in Scotland, measuring 6 m (20ft) with an extimate 2 m underground. Nobody really knows the true purpose of this huge standing stone. Legend suggests that the stone harks back to the Norse raiders and settlers of Lewis, who marked the grave of a Norse Prince who died in a battle close to the stones location.

Three Howes (Egton High Moor)

Three round cairns in a more or less NE – SW alignment in a prominent position. with all round views on the summit of Brown Hill on the eastern side of Egton High Moor, North Yorkshire. The southern cairn at NZ 79457 01068 (my gps) is a 60ft diameter stony barrow, within which probing suggest lie a ring of stones. It has been dug out in the centre but there are no records of any finds.

Castelo Velho de Freixo de Numão

The Castelo Velho (Portugese for old castle) is probably a sun/fire sanctuary used in the late Neolithic and the early Copper Age. It is situated on a high plane over the two rivers Douro and Cóa. The sanctuary forms a stone ring with the remains of a massive tower in the centre of the ring. Outside the ring some smaller stone circles/rings can be found. These look like archaic fireplaces.

Bouldnor Underwater Settlement and Wooden Structure

A repeat of this wonderful BBC Radio 3 feature length Documentary: Under the Water - Rikke Houd accompanies a team of maritime archaeologists who are racing against time and tide at the submerged Mesolithic site of Bouldnor Cliff. More details in the comments on our page.. Ancient Settlement and Trackway in Isle of Wight. Bouldnor Cliff is a submerged Stone Age settlement off the coast of Yarmouth which was covered in silt as great sheets of ice melted at the end of the last Ice Age.

Longstone Cove

This mutilated scheduled ancient monument lies on the west side of Avebury and was originally a double stone row of length 1300 metres sitting at an altitude of 152 metres. At its upper end sits a stone circle and henge and a possible pillar at its lower end. It sits in a context of other barrows in the surrounding landscape.

Recinto megalitico di Santa Vittoria

The megalithic enclosure of Santa Vittoria di Esterzili, Sardinia, on the top of the mountain of the same name, includes a circular building from the Nuragic age, probably of sacred function. Above the circular building, the church of Santa Vittoria, now completely demolished, was built in historic times. The two entrances of the enclosure are preserved, one to the East and one to the West; the first keeps the architrave covering. The circular building still retains part of the bench that goes around the circumference.

St Cuthbert's Church (Corsenside)

Ancient Cross and a possible Tudor way marker
in Northumberland. The cross base is 0.8m square and 0.3m high, with a moulded top. It is perhaps one of the most complex in its design we've seen recently, as it has a large circular depression cut into it, and at the bottom of this, a shallow rectangular socket hole, which Pastscape tells us is 0.3m x 0.25m x 0.1m deep. "It is raised up on one side upon small stones, and is probably not in situ".

Craig Rhosyfelin

Brian John has just released a new video explaining his assertion that Craig Rhosyfelin as a quarry for the Stonehenge Bluestones is a Myth. More in the comments on our page. Pinpointed in new research as a possible source of one group of the Stonehenge bluestones. Their source has long been a subject of fascination and considerable controversy. Another type of bluestone, the so-called ‘spotted dolerite’, was convincingly traced to the Mynydd Preseli area in north Pembrokeshire in the early 1920s

Le Dehus

Various new papers linked about Gurnsey's amazing rock art and statue menhirs, details in the comments on our page. Chambered Tomb in Guernsey. The most interesting of the sites to explore I think, this one has four side chambers similar in the style, if not size to West Kennett Long Barrow. You have to almost lie down to see the unique carving of a stylised face - 'the Guardian of the tomb', thought to be prehistoric in origin, possibly a reused carved menhir on the roof of the tomb.

Silex's

Silex's is an Interpretation Centre located in the heart of the vast neolithic flint mines of Spiennes, Belgium which date from around 4000 BC. The first mine was discovered in 1867 during major civil engineering works - subsequently, many more mines have been discovered, up to several hundreds. Some are about 10m deep, some give access to horizontal galleries