Towns in the Cotswold region
The Rollright Stones
Stonehenge of the Cotswolds
Perhaps lacking the grandeur of Stonehenge, the Rollright Stones, located between the counties of Warwickshire and Oxfordshire are a megalithic site with a mystical past. Dated from around 3000BC, the Stones can be divided into three sections: the ‘Whispering Knights’, the ‘King’s Men Stone Circle’ and the ‘King’s Stone’, all of which are made from weathered limestone.
The ‘Whispering Knights’
The ‘Whispering Knights’, so called due to their configuration looking like knights leaning against each other are the oldest part of the site and are the remains of a burial chamber.
The ‘King’s Men Stone Circle’
The ‘King’s Men Stone Circle’ consist of approximately 77 stones (although the exact number is open to debate), arranged in a perfect geometric circle which is said to harness the earth’s energy.
The ‘King’s Circle’
The ‘King’s Circle’ stands 50 yards from the Stone Circle itself and in fact lies in Warwickshire, making the site span the county boundary with Oxfordshire. The purpose of the stone is unclear as is its date of construction, but it is thought to be an outlier to the Stone Circle, possibly originating in the Bronze Age.
The Rollright Stones folklore
As with Stonehenge a lot of folklore has grown up around the Rollright Stones. One is that the stones were men who were turned to stone by a witch and have remained there ever since. Another folklore legend is that the tones are impossible to count. Reportedly a baker once tried to do this by placing a loaf of bread on the top of each stone but he ran out of loaves before the task was completed! There has also been a lot of conjecture about the Stones being located in an area of ‘natural energy.’
Despite lacking the commercial drive of Stonehenge, the Rollright Stones are a fascinating pre-historic ruin and in some ways their relative anonymity is beneficial, allowing visitors to experience the site in solitude if the visiting time is well picked.
Useful Information
Nearby Towns: Burford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, Woodstock
Nearby Cotswold Hotels: Manor House Hotel Moreton in Marsh
Similar Cotswold Attractions: Belas Knap, Berkeley Castle, Blenheim Palace, Chedworth Villa, Gloucester Cathedral, Highgrove, Kelmscott Manor, Roman Amphitheatre, Cirencester, The Rococo Gardens, The Roman Baths
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