Standing stone and cairn 310m north of The Old Lighthouse, Lundy

Reasons for Designation

Lundy is a small,steep sided island in the Bristol Channel,16m north of Hartland Point,north Devon.Aligned north-south,it is 6km long by 1km wide and supports a predominately moorland vegetation.The 100m high cliffs and tabular form give it a striking appearance,visible in clear weather from parts of south west England and south Wales.Lundy's remoteness and(until the 19th century construction of the Beach Road)its inaccessibility,combined with a lack of shelter and cultivable soils,has meant that it has escaped more recent occupation or development.It therefore preserves a remarkable variety of archaeological sites from early prehistory(c.8000 BC)onwards,representing evidence for habitation,fortification,farming and industry.There are also archaeological remains in the waters surrounding the island - over 150 shipwrecks are already recorded.Most of the island's archaeology is well documented from detailed survey in the 1980s and 1990s.Standing stones are prehistoric ritual or ceremonial monuments with dates ranging from the late Neolithic period to the end of the Bronze Age.They are often(as on Lundy)conspicuously sited and close to other contemporary monument classes;many,for example,are found on the edge of round cairns and barrows.Nine standing stones are recorded on Lundy,all believed to be still in their original positions and constituting an important group.Their survival in an environment virtually unchanged from prehistoric times means that they can be clearly seen in terms of the topographic setting in which they were constructed.A study of this group of stones concluded that,together,they represent evidence of a solar calendar.

Round cairns are burial mounds found typically on upland moors in south west England and Wales.They are often mounds of earth and small stones and may cover one or more burials.They are generally dated to the Bronze Age(c.2000-700 BC).The standing stone and cairn survive well despite evidence for some damage in antiquity.The stone,in common with most of the stones on Lundy,is not earthfast but supported by a packing of small stones beneath and around the base.The stone and its surrounding soil will provide evidence for the construction and use of the monument,and of environmental conditions prevalent at the time.

Details

The monument includes a standing stone which has been incorporated into the structure of a cairn on Acklands Moor 310m north of The Old Lighthouse, Lundy. The cairn survives as a low mound about 3m across and 0.3m high. Within this, and on its southern side is the standing stone which measures 1.4m high, 2.2m wide and 0.6m thick. It is oriented north to south. In common with other such stones on Lundy, it is not earthfast but held in position by small stones packed around and under the base. Immediately to the west of the standing stone is a second stone whose situation suggests that it forms one of the uprights to support a capstone for a cist burial within the cairn. The capstone is probably the large flat stone lying on the south edge of the cairn. The stone is one of a group of nine standing stones recorded on Lundy, all in the southern part of the island.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

27627

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Books and journals
Farrah, R W E, The Megalithic Astronomy of Lundy, (1991), 58
Gardner, K, The Archaeology of Lundy, (1972)
Gardner, K, The Archaeology of Lundy, (1972)

Other
Title: National Trust Archaeological Survey Source Date: 1989 Author: Publisher: Surveyor:
Thackray, C, The National Trust Archaeological Survey, (1989)

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