In this historic region near Abbotsbury in England, stone circles dot the expansive downland. Our writer chooses a misty yet atmospheric day to embark on an exploration
Wiltshire, with Stonehenge, Avebury, and Salisbury Plain, is the English county most renowned for its Neolithic stone circles and barrows. Dorset, its southern neighbor, lacks sites on such a grand scale, but it does boast the Valley of the Stones, an ancient quarry, as well as several smaller yet equally captivating archaeological sites linked by winding footpaths.
Our excursion is filled with ambiance. We park in the village of Portesham, a former quarrying community where remnants of boulders still line the main street. The mist above us obscures the outlines of the winter landscape, enhancing the atmosphere.
We proceed northeast from the village, following a rocky path toward the Hardy Monument. Contrary to what one might expect, the monument is not named after the Dorset writer and poet Thomas Hardy, but after Thomas Masterton Hardy, who was with Nelson at his deathbed. The tower is designed to resemble a naval spyglass and dominates the landscape, its Victorian architectural style starkly visible from afar.
We follow the footpath to a windswept plateau where buzzards call overhead. It is here that we come across the Hell Stone
Southward, the coastal views extend, encompassing the 14th-century St. Catherine’s Chapel in Abbotsbury, standing watch over Chesil Beach. Beyond lies the brackish Fleet Lagoon, enclosed by a ridge of glistening stones, with Portland across the bay, still a hub for quarrying. Rather than ascending Black Down towards the Hardy Monument, we bypass a roofless stone barn and follow a path to an open plateau where buzzards cry overhead. Here, we discover a stone engraved with the words: “To the Hell Stone”.
The Hell Stone is a well-preserved burial chamber made up of several grey sarsen stones topped with a capstone. It is quite compact, with a small chamber that one can climb into. However, its condition is a bit too pristine: around the time the Hardy Monument was finished, the Victorians opted to “enhance” the Hell Stone, and they replaced the capstone on its open chamber.
I feel somewhat uneasy about these modifications, but musician and author Julian Cope, in his authoritative book The Modern Antiquarian, describes the result as beautiful. Nonetheless, this has always been a deeply human landscape, where people have resided, labored, and made changes. The southern part of England was inhabited early on, and these higher lands with their thinner soil were the simplest to cultivate and more accommodating to crops, particularly in winter. We encounter few individuals on our lengthy stroll, but this area was once bustling with activity.
Following the lane northward, we reach the Valley of the Stones, the heart of this ancient landscape. This vast, dry basin of land was shaped by retreating ice ages and is scattered with boulders resembling motionless sheep. It served as the natural quarry for the construction of stone circles and dolmens in the region. Much of this nature reserve is open to the public, allowing us to freely explore the stones.
Last year, volunteers clearing the scrub made a rare discovery: a Neolithic polishing stone, or polissoir—a boulder with a smooth, slightly hollowed top. The stone is remarkably large and has led to speculation that the valley was once a workshop area where people would sharpen their tools.
I’ve encountered individuals who claim that the Kingston Russell stone circle is a superior location to observe the sunrise compared to Stonehenge
Returning through the valley, we follow a tranquil lane and then a footpath that leads northwest along the field’s edge. Here, cows peacefully coexist with gulls and a few cattle egrets, one of the more recent migrants to these shores. Beyond the livestock and birds, and after crossing a new stile, we come upon the Grey Mare and her Colts. This long barrow was likely more imposing in size in the past, and although 19th-century antiquarians likely opened the tomb, little is known about their findings. This occurred before the professionalization of archaeology by Augustus Pitt Rivers, the namesake of the museum in Oxford. Nonetheless, the Grey Mare and her Colts has a presence, situated in a corner of a field grazed by sheep.
At this juncture, we could retrace our path for a shorter journey. However, the Kingston Russell stone circle is less than half a mile away, a low circle of stones near the summit of a broad hill. Even in the mist, the views are striking. This circle, while remote and unassuming, has garnered praise from some for being a superior location to Stonehenge for watching the sunrise during the summer solstice.
Returning through the valley below, passing by farm structures, we reconnect with the Ridgeway. Heading eastward along this path, we arrive at the diminutive Hampton Down stone circle, situated right alongside the trail. While I harbored some skepticism about the Victorians rearranging the Hell Stone, it turns out they weren’t the only ones. In the mid-20th century, with a bit more sensitivity, the stones of the Hampton Circle were repositioned to what was believed to be their original locations. Descending back toward Portesham, we traverse a landscape marked by deep hollows and medieval field systems, their ridges still clearly defined.
No individual trek can cover all the Neolithic archaeology in this area. North of here, in Winterbourne Abbas along the bustling A35, lies the Nine Stones circle, which local folklore attributes to the devil, his wife, and their seven children. Additionally, I’ve heard of at least one “lost” stone circle, as described by the 17th-century writer John Aubrey.
There might have been other stone circles as well, their stones possibly taken away for more immediate and practical purposes. However, the significance of the stone circle has recently been recognized with the construction of a new henge, complete with a car park, near the Hardy Monument.
This henge was finished in time for the summer solstice sunrise in 2018. On this occasion, the rising sun aligned perfectly to shine through a gap in the stones, illuminating the single stone at the center. Those present, including a druid and the engineer, were relieved and delighted by their success, much like their Neolithic ancestors would have been.
