Mitchell's Fold Stone Circle, nr Chirbury, Shropshire

Mitchell’s Fold is a Bronze Age stone circle. Today there are fifteen stones, arranged in a rough circle, but there may once have been as many as thirty. The tallest stone was once one of a pair, and these would have formed an impressive entrance into the circle. It is thought that there may also have been a central stone. We do not fully understand why stone circles were built, but it is clear that they were ritually important for prehistoric people. They may have provided a focus for funerary rites, or perhaps acted as a calandar, with carefully aligned stones marking important lunar or solar events. Mitchell's Fold is just one of a remarkable number of prehistoric monuments in the surrounding landscape. Nearby was the important Bronze Age axe factory at Cwm Mawr, where distinctive axe-hammers were produced and traded extensively into central Wales and England. Read detailed archaeological description.

Location

Shropshire Chirbury with Brompton

Period

Prehistoric (to AD42)

Tags

bronze age stone circle standing landscape religion faith sacred prehistoric (to ad42)