Stanton Drew Stone Circles
Stanton Drew Circles
Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age·Late Neolithic Severn·🇬🇧 Somerset, England, United Kingdom
About
About Stanton Drew Stone Circles
Third largest stone circle complex in England: Great Circle 113 m diameter of 27 limestone stones (originally 30 plus avenue of 8 stones toward River Chew), Northeast Circle 30 m and Southwest Circle 43 m, plus outlying Cove of three stones in Red Lion pub garden. Late Neolithic c.3000 BCE with Early Bronze Age deposits. Legend says wedding party petrified for dancing on Sabbath.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Avenue alignment to River Chew — processional way?
Theories
- 01Water-related cosmology
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 3000–2600 BCE
- Period
- Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age
- Culture
- Late Neolithic Severn
- Purpose
- Ceremonial circles and avenues
- Abandoned
- c.1500 BCE
- Rediscovered
- Recorded 1664 Aubrey; excavation by Dymond 1877, 1980s geophysics
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 3000–2600 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1015 CE
Abandonment
On the ground
Structures & features
51.3656° N · 2.5756° W · 50 m · 2 mapped features
Great Circle
stone circle113 m circle of 27 limestone orthostats
51.3656° N · 2.5756° WThe Cove
coveThree-stone cove in pub garden 300 m NW
51.3675° N · 2.5780° W