Stanton Drew Great Circle

The stone circle that's larger than Stonehenge, that most people have never heard of.

We are in Somerset, not far from Bath and Bristol, and this grand monument has stood here for 4500 years. This complex of ancient structures sits next to the River Chew and it features three circles two of which have avenues of stones leading to the river.

Unlike Stonehenge there are no tourist buses, gift shops, or queues, just this farm gate and about five car parking spaces.

The Honesty Box asks you for £1.

For £1 you get to walk the private field with it's own herd of disinterested cattle, enter the circles and touch the stones. Unlike Stonehenge again.

There may well be an official warning about defacing the monument here, as in less enlightened times, day trips of enthusiasts would arrive, whereupon some individuals thought it appropriate to hack off pieces of stone as souvenirs., and these were the educated few.

Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Monday 19 September 1864

THE EXCURSION TO STANTON DREW AND RADSTOCK.

On Saturday morning a large number of members and associates assembled at the Reception-rooms at eight o'clock, for the purpose of proceeding on a visit of inspection to the celebrated megalithic remains at Stanton Drew, and the far-famed coal mines of the Countess Waldegrave, at Radstock. The excursion was under the guidance of J. H. Cotterell, Esq., a gentleman in every respect qualified by his local knowledge and general attainments to afford the class of information most required by strangers on such an interesting occasion........

......At the appointed hour, eleven hackney coaches and several larger vehicles drew up in rapid succession opposite the grand Pump-room, Hall Street, and having received their living freights, proceeded on their journey amid many exhibitions of popular enthusiasm on the part of the inhabitants of the respective neighbourhoods through which they had to pass. The party included several men of eminence in archaeological and geological science, and it was evident throughout the varied proceedings of the day, that the Excursion Committee had acted very wisely in selecting the route......

......Only short distance had now to be traversed before the ringing of church bells, and the assemblage of curious but respectful villagers announced the fact that the site of the far-famed megalithic structure of Stanton Drew was near at hand. In a few minutes more the carriages were drawn up in a field belonging to Mr. Wallington Coates, who, to his infinite honour, had made every preparation for the reception of his guests, and had gone to the expense of removing the superincumbent earth from several of the megaliths, which were now first exposed to public view, after remaining effectually obscured for probably nearly a century, if not longer time......

......there was an evident disposition on the part of the more enthusiastic but less considerate "philosophers," to create and carry off many fragments as would have caused a visible diminution in the bulk of the material—be it pudding-stone or magnesian conglomerate—of which the circle is composed. A propensity, by no means excusable, was quickly repressed by the better judgment of those who apprehended that a multiplication of small fragments might result in a large subtraction sum......

It is interesting that the above article mentions that some of the stones as recently as 170 years ago were partially or wholly covered by earth.

Although this is the third largest complex of prehistoric standing stones in England, the three circles and three-stone ‘cove’ of Stanton Drew in Somerset are surprisingly little known. The Great Circle, 113 metres in diameter, is one of the largest stone circles in the country and has 26 surviving upright stones. Yet recent surveys have revealed that the circles and cove were just part of a much more elaborate and important ritual site than had previously been imagined. English Heritage

It is considered to be one of the largest Neolithic monuments to have been built. The date of construction is not known, but is thought to be between 3000 and 2000 BCE, which places it in the Late Neolithic to Early Bronze Age. Wikipedia

The stone circle and it's artefacts encompass the village of Stanton Drew making this one of the longest settled spots in Britain. The ancient church has watched over the pagan circles for 800 years.

These stones were built at a time that modern agriculture was starting to spread in Mesopotamia with the invention of irrigation. The city-states of Sumer in Mesopotamia and the Kingdom of Egypt were established and growing in prominence during this era, with a growing world population benefiting from widespread agriculture across Eurasia.

The Neolithic period in the British Isles was characterised by the adoption of agriculture and sedentary living. To make room for the new farmland, these early agricultural communities undertook mass deforestation across the islands, dramatically and permanently transforming the landscape. At the same time, new types of stone tools requiring more skill began to be produced; new technologies included polishing.

The Neolithic also saw the construction of a wide variety of monuments in the landscape, many of which were megalithic in nature. The earliest of these are the chambered tombs of the Early Neolithic, although in the Late Neolithic this form of monumentalisation was replaced by the construction of stone circles, a trend that would continue into the following Bronze Age. These constructions are taken to reflect ideological changes, with new ideas about religion, ritual and social hierarchy. Wikipedia

What you cannot see though, is far older.

Western Daily Press - Tuesday 14 April 1998

Stanton Drew made international news last year when technology showed that inside the 4000-year-old stone ring lay the remains of the biggest wooden henge ever found.

It was probably built 1000 years before the stone circle. English Heritage, which pioneered the research said it was by far the biggest and most elaborate temple ever found The remains of the wooden temple are underground but the 365-foot-diameter Great Circle and two smaller circles to the North-east South-west are still visible and evidence of a sophisticated prehistoric society.