Historic England research records

Historic England Research Records

Station Stones
Hob Uid: 219780
Location : Wiltshire Amesbury
Grid Ref : SU1225042160
Summary : Four sarsen stones at Stonehenge placed inside the internal bank of the henge, roughly on the line of the Aubrey Holes (see SU 14 SW 4 for Stonehenge). Two, known as the North Barrow and South Barrow, are surrounded by circular ditches, which gave rise to suggestions that they might have been round barrows. As a result, the have been listed by Grinsell as Amesbury 12 and 13, a possible saucer barrow and possible bowl barrow respectively. They are not barrows. Both now lack their stones. The North Barrow has seen excavation, confirming the presence of the stone hole. The other two unenclosed Station Stones still feature their sarsens, one upright and one fallen. The four sarsen Station Stones are assigned to Phase 3a in Cleal et al's (1995) new phasing of Stonehenge. The ditches around the two "barrows" are assigned to Phase 3b, the date in each case being broadly Late Neolithic or Early Bronze Age.
More information : 'A' - SU 12254216. Grinsell's Amesbury 13.(1) A ditched bowl barrow 36ft in diameter and 1ft high. Excavated without result by Hoare. (3) 'B' - SU 12244244. Amesbury 12. (1) A saucer barrow which has been half destroyed. It may not be a barrow. Hoare thought that it was earlier than the vallum of Stonehenge. (3) Amesbury 13. A roughly circular ditched (0.2 deep) feature about 12 metres in diameter with a slightly raised interior. The ditch cuts into the bank of Stonehenge but conforms to its perimeter. A possible but rather doubtful barrow. Amesbury 12. Only a short curvilinear length of bank with an internal ditch exist here. Assuming that this feature was bigger, too little survives for it to be classified as a barrow. Resurveyed at 1/625 (with Stonehenge survey). (2) Originally recorded as Amesbury 12 and 13 by Goddard. (4) These earthworks mark the site of two of the station stones, both have a penannular ditch. The SSE example had an internal diameter c. 10.5 x 9.0m. It was flattened against the bank indicating it post-dates the latter feature and cut one of the Aubrey Holes. Hawley failed to locate an external bank or internal mound (5,6). The NNW example had an internal diameter c. 7.5m x 13.5m and was also flattened against the bank and also cut one Aubrey Hole. It was surrounded by a low bank. Analogy with the Heel Stone ditch suggest these two penannular ditches are secondary to the stones. (7-8) The area around Stonehenge has been mapped from aerial photographs by both RCHME's Salisbury Plain Training Area NMP and EH's Stonehenge WHS Mapping Project. No further information about these stones was gained from aerial photographic evidence. (9)

Sources :

Source Number : 1
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Source details : LV Grinsell: Archaeological Gazetteer
Page(s) : 150, 222
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Source Number : 2
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Source details : F1 ANK 21-JAN-71
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Source Number : 9
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Source details : English Heritage: Stonehenge WHS Mapping Project
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Source Number : 3
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Source details :
Page(s) : 145
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Source Number : 4
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Source details : EH Goddard: A List of the prehistoric, Roman and pagan Saxon antiquities in the county of Wiltshire...
Page(s) : 166
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Vol(s) : 38, 1913-14

Source Number : 5
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Source details : W Hawley. Second report on the excavations at Stonehenge (p36-51)
Page(s) : 48
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Vol(s) : 2, 1922

Source Number : 6
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Source details : W Hawley. Third report on the excavations at Stonehnge (p13-20)
Page(s) : 15-16
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Vol(s) : 3, 1923

Source Number : 7
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Source details :
Page(s) : 26, 272-80
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Vol(s) : 10

Source Number : 7
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Source details :
Page(s) : 446
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Vol(s) : 215 (i-ii)

Source Number : 8
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Source details : RC Atkinson (1979) Stonehenge (3rd edition)
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Source Number : 8
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Source details : Record numbers 712, 719
Page(s) : 240, 243
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Monument Types:

Monument Period Name : Late Neolithic
Display Date : Late Neolithic
Monument End Date : -2200
Monument Start Date : -2900
Monument Type : Standing Stone, Ring Ditch
Evidence : Structure, Earthwork

Monument Period Name : Early Bronze Age
Display Date : Early Bronze Age
Monument End Date : -1600
Monument Start Date : -2600
Monument Type : Standing Stone, Ring Ditch
Evidence : Structure, Earthwork

Components and Objects:

Related Records from other datasets:

External Cross Reference Source : SMR Number (Wiltshire)
External Cross Reference Number : SU14SW751
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : Scheduled Monument Legacy (County No.)
External Cross Reference Number : WI 290
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : SMR Number (Wiltshire)
External Cross Reference Number : SU14SW752
External Cross Reference Notes :

External Cross Reference Source : National Monuments Record Number
External Cross Reference Number : SU 14 SW 120
External Cross Reference Notes :

Related Warden Records :

Related Activities :

Associated Activities :
Activity type : EXCAVATION
Start Date : 1800-01-01
End Date : 1810-12-31

Associated Activities :
Activity type : EXCAVATION
Start Date : 1920-01-01
End Date : 1921-12-31

Associated Activities :
Activity type : FIELD OBSERVATION (VISUAL ASSESSMENT)
Start Date : 1971-01-21
End Date : 1971-01-21

Associated Activities :
Activity type : AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH INTERPRETATION
Start Date : 1994-12-01
End Date : 1995-08-01

Associated Activities :
Activity type : AERIAL PHOTOGRAPH INTERPRETATION
Start Date : 2001-02-01
End Date : 2001-07-01

Associated Activities :
Activity type : MEASURED SURVEY
Start Date : 2008-01-01
End Date : 2013-12-31

Historic England Research Records

Station Stones