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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ต.ค. 2024
- Tucked away beyond the edge of the woods near Norton Priory lies one of the town's forgotten landmarks.
What makes the circle so intriguing is that even those who have an intimate knowledge of the town's hidden gems seem to be unaware of it's existence.
Although far more humble than ancient Stonehenge, Runcorn’ s modest ring of nine small stones has avoided the attention of academics, archaeologists and TV crews.
The circle is made up of a ring of nine small stones - each about a foot across - and a standing stone in the middle.
The consensus among experts is the stone circle was installed by the Warrington and Runcorn New Town Development Corporation (DevCo), whose motives remain lost in time - although eccentric ideas were no stranger to the dawn of Runcorn New Town as anyone who remembers Southgate can attest.
Researcher Mark Olly, based in neighbouring Warrington, cast his eyes over the circle for his book Celtic Warrington and Other Mysteries: Volume 3, which speculates that the site could be linked to a possible bronze age barrow, and he cites archive materials describing mounds in the area called “coneygreves” meaning “rabbit warrens”.
He added that Warrington has at least five modern stone circle follies.
The mound on which the circle sits is reminiscent to a degree of other ancient sites, as is a more tantalisingly barrow-like hillock near the entry to Norton Priory on Tudor Road, and referred to in Celtic Warrington as a reconstructed “Worm Hill” or “Harvest Hill”.
Despite the allure of the idea of a barrow, Cheshire Archaeology Planning Advisory Service, based in Chester, corroborated the existence of rabbit warrens but it couldn’t find records indicating prehistoric activity or a barrow, and 19th century maps didn’t show “any obvious earthworks”.
A CAPAS spokesperson said: “However, the tithe map and award for the township of Norton (dated 1844), depicts two plots of land within the landscape park of Norton Priory, and to the immediate north-west of the modern stone circle, named ‘coney graves’, ‘coney’ meaning rabbit and graves may relate to diggings or to a steward or someone in charge.
“So maybe rabbit diggings or (belonging to) rabbit keepers.”
They added: “This may indicate that this area was once associated with medieval rabbit warrens; artificial constructions, in the form of mounds, used for rabbit farming in the medieval period.
“The proximity of this area to the medieval priory, would suggest that any such mounds would be associated with the religious house.
“Once disused, these artificial warrens can be misidentified as prehistoric burial mounds.
“If such a warren did exist in this area, it may be source of the story about a burial mound.”
Enquiries with Runcorn and District Historic Society drew a blank, but Frank Lawless, of Widnes Historical Society and the Halton Heritage Partnership, relayed the enquiry to local history enthusiast Sue Lancaster, who helpfully provided an initial breakthrough in finding anything out about the stones, not only knowing someone who worked for the DevCo who thought they were installed when Runcorn's expressways were built, but also by providing the tip about Mark Olly’s book.
Furthermore, Sue obtained a response from Lynn Smith, archivist at Norton Priory about half a mile away, who confirmed the stone circle was the work of the DevCo.
The stone circle itself is on a small hill overlooking a small roundabout and it’s quite easy to drive past fairly regularly for years, with eyes fixed on the road, and not realise they're there.
But there they are, and since enquiries first began last month, a trail of flattened grass has now appeared, emerging from Big Wood nearby.
Another clue might be found in the follies in Warrington, such as the Parkfields Stone Circle in Fearnhead, a short distance from the M62 Croft Interchange, and which according to the www.megalithic.com website was originally set out in 1984 by Catterall landscaping followed by the DevCo, suggesting a date for when they were built, if the Runcorn stones were built at the same time.
The Warrington Guardian also reported in 2015 that the Fearnhead circle in northern Warrington had been rediscovered after undergrowth was cut back, the stones having lain out of sight for years.
Halton Henge?
Pet theories over the layout of the Runcorn circle are irresistible.
Could the nine ring stones symbolise the nine main new town estates? Castlefields, Palacefields, Brookvale, Murdishaw, Halton Brook, Halton Lodge, The Brow, Windmill Hill and Beechwood.
Or represent nine senior DevCo designers and their boss?
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A lot of the fir trees in Runcorn get decorated at Christmas. Especially the ones on roundabouts.
It’s always really great to see!
George your dead right. Been using that roundabout for thirty or more years and never seen it. Another local gem.
Yeh its mad isnt it whats around that we dont know about
I’ve heard its the mini Stonehenge from the ‘Spinal Tap’ film 😝
And what a brilliant movie that is
I’ve always wondered what the history of these stones was. Runcorn is a lovely place to live if you like the outdoors.
Same here its always intriuged me what these are for
Runcorn is nice lots of greenery indeed
Should do a video on Halton village and the castle mate
@@thescousecyclist917 i already have its somewhere in my videos about a few months ago i think
Excellent video thx
Thanks for watching glad you enjoyed it
That's for all the woolly backs to run around drinking their specials brew at midnight 😂
Lol
Have you seen the ice house at the back of the priory it was used as a fridge hundreds of years ago
No ill check that out ive never really been to that priory cheers
I wonder if there’s any connection to it with the Norton Priory monks
If its anything like manor park in Sheffield, its rough af 😂
Nah manor park here is mainly all industrial
Thers a legend merlin passed through runcorn with the holy grail on his way to hide it😂 also in those woods is a smack heads den
Monks grave we call it. I cut tue grass here for the council
Ahh right i did see it getting cut a few weeks ago
Council put those stones there in 1979.
Fountain woods edge of windmill hill on the canal near the ressie...small structure we use to call the witches grave...often wonder if its still there ?
Not heard of that one, But Place in the Pine Woods, Off Norton Lane / Back of Windmill Hill that everyone calls the Witches Den. Someone told me it was an old Windmill footings, But never found out if that true or not.
@@welshy8216 between Bridgeway west and the canal ...google names it fountain woods but could be pine woods
Ill see what i can find about it on the internet cheers
@@g2emedia1977 its been 40 odd years since i've been in that wood. Got dragged to live in Wales .. Windmill hill wood i see its called today on google earth. if you look on google earth, there a red marker on it. says windmill hill wood. Thats about roughly were the den is..
@@g2emedia1977 If you google witches den windmill hill woods. Things pop up about it..
Runcorn gets everything
Lol
If you get yourself out and about to Victoria Park in Waterloo the parks and gardens have built one there also. A modern fake ? Or fancy? Not at all old.
Just a word on the obvious station/railway that used to run through that area.
First ive heard of that
Victorian folly 100%
Just like Hawkstone park near Whitchurch.
I always thought of a folly as a building
I’ve heard its the mini Stonehenge from the ‘Spinal Tap’ film 😝
And what a movie that was