Arthur's Stone, Herefordshire.
N 52° 04.935 W 002° 59.711
30U E 500330 N 5770186
A late Neolithic burial chamber from approximately 3200BC.
Waymark Code: WM4ZT5
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/19/2008
Views: 16
The burial chamber is situated on a broad ridge, 900 feet above sea level, near the village of Dorstone, in-between the Black Mountains and the river Wye. It consists of a main chamber lying North / South, extra stones at the south end may have been another chamber. There are 10 stones in the entrance tunnel, 12 upright stones, a hugh capstone, now broken into 3 pieces and 3 other stones at the South end of the group. The site is approximately round and about 60 feet in diameter. At the North end is the entrance tunnel, curving round to the West. The whole site would once have been covered by a mound of earth. The construction is a great achievement for people with primitive tools.
Several ley lines go through Arthur's Stone, Eardisley castle moat to Snodhill castle, the Knapp to Dorstone church, Newton tump to Bodcott barn. Red lay to Cefn Hill (50deg East of true North) is a midsummers day sun rise ley. Each line has several marking points, old buildings, roads, other mounds etc. Alignments in the landscape dating to the time of building Arthur's Stone, give or take a few thousand years, are well known, their use is less well understood. I think people marked out ley lines for reference, to give the area they lived in an identity.
Folklore says the stones mark the site of one of King Arthur's battles, but they were here long before King Arthur's time. Maybe the name 'Arthur's stone' became attached to the capstone, broken when King Arthurs sword was removed.
Today we're left with a very popular place to visit on a sunny afternoon in the quiet Herefordshire countryside. Signposted from Dorstone.
Type: Dolmen
Parking: N 52° 04.935 W 002° 59.711
Number: 28.00
Size:
About 60 feet round.
Purpose:
Burial chamber.
Source: Not listed
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