The Long Stone, Minchinhampton

The Long Stone is a single upright slab of oolite standing in a field about 1.4km south-east of Minchinhampton, on the plateau south-east of the town. It is prehistoric, up to 2.1m tall, and pierced by holes, which give it its local name, the Holey Stone. It is a scheduled monument.

History

The stone is a standing stone, a kind of monument Historic England dates from the Late Neolithic to the end of the Bronze Age, raised for reasons that are now lost: as markers, memorials or meeting places, or for ritual. Standing stones are rare nationally and cluster in a few parts of England, the Cotswolds among them. This one survives well, and the ground at its foot may still hold evidence of how and when it was put up.

Antiquarians took a different view. They thought the Long Stone had been part of the stone chamber of a long barrow, with other stones nearby that have since been moved or scattered. A recent geophysical survey found no trace of such a chamber, and Historic England records it as a standing stone.

The Holey Stone

The holes gave the stone a reputation. Historic England notes an older local tradition that a child with rickets could be cured by being passed through one of them.

What to see

The stone is a broad, flat slab, up to 1.7m wide and only 0.4m thick, set edge-on in the ground. At least two large holes and several smaller ones go right through it, and from the right angle you can see the field beyond through them. The setting is part of the point: a wide, gently rolling plateau with long views, typical of where such stones were raised.

Visiting

The Long Stone is on private farmland and is seen from outside the field, from the minor road and the footpath beside it, at any time and for nothing. Do not climb into the field or onto the stone, which is protected as a scheduled monument. The road is narrow with no pavement, so stand well in on the verge. Late afternoon light, low across the plateau, shows the holes best.

Getting there

There is no parking at the stone. Park in Minchinhampton, where the Friday Street car park (GL6 9JL) is the nearest council car park, and walk out south-east along the lanes, about 1.4km. The Stagecoach West 620 bus from Stroud to Tetbury stops in Market Square seven times a day, Monday to Saturday, with no Sunday service. None of our walks passes the stone yet.

Nearby

In the town, Holy Trinity Church and the Market House are a short walk from each other. West of the town, Minchinhampton Common holds the Iron Age bank of the Bulwarks and the Neolithic long barrow called Whitfield's Tump, so one morning can take in monuments from the Neolithic to the Iron Age. Our guide to Stroud and the Five Valleys covers the country round about.