 Castlerigg Stone Circle, September 2005 | |
 | |
  Castlerigg Location in the Lake District National Park | |
| Location | Cumbria grid reference NY292236 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 54°36′10″N 3°05′54″W / 54.6028366°N 3.098384°W |
| Type | Stone circle |
| History | |
| Periods | Neolithic / Bronze Age |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | English Heritage |
| Designated | 18 Aug 1882[1] |
| Reference no. | 1011362[2] |
Castlerigg Stone Circle (alternatively Keswick Carles, or Carles)[3][4] is situated on a prominent hill to the east of Keswick, in the Lake District National Park, North West England.[5] It is one of around 1,300 stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany, constructed as a part of a megalithic tradition that lasted from approximately 3,200 BC to 2500 BC, during the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Ages.[6]
Various archaeologists have mentioned the beauty and romance of Castlerigg and its surrounding landscape. In his study of the stone circles of Cumbria, archaeologist John Waterhouse commented that the site was "one of the most visually impressive prehistoric monuments in Britain."[7]
Every year, thousands of tourists travel to the site, making it the most visited stone circle in Cumbria.[7][8] This plateau forms the raised centre of a natural amphitheatre created by the surrounding fells and from within the circle it is possible to see some of the highest peaks in Cumbria: Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Grasmoor and Blencathra.
- ^ Hunter, Robert (1907). . The Preservation of Places of Interest or Beauty. Manchester University Press – via Wikisource.
- ^ Historic England. "Castlerigg stone circle and two bowl barrows (Grade Scheduled) (1011362)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
- ^ Cavendish, Richard (1983). Prehistoric England. London: English Tourist Board. p. 142. ISBN 0297783157. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
- ^ Thom, A.; Thom, A. S. (1990). Stone Rows and Standing Stones: Britain, Ireland and Brittany. Part 1. Oxford: British Archaeological Reports. p. 27. ISBN 0860547086. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
- ^ Ibbotson, Adam Morgan (2021). Cumbria's prehistoric monuments. Cheltenham: The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7509-9763-8. OCLC 1256672101.
- ^ Burl 2000, p. 13.
- ^ a b Waterhouse 1985, p. 43.
- ^ Díaz-Andreu et al. 2006, p. 1580.