<< Our Photo Pages >> Bosley Minn 1 - Standing Stone (Menhir) in England in Cheshire
Submitted by vicky on Tuesday, 23 July 2002 Page Views: 12952
Neolithic and Bronze AgeSite Name: Bosley Minn 1 Alternative Name: Minn End Lane 1Country: England County: Cheshire Type: Standing Stone (Menhir)
Nearest Town: Macclesfield Nearest Village: Wincle
Map Ref: SJ93886585 Landranger Map Number: 118
Latitude: 53.189703N Longitude: 2.093049W
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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I have visited· I would like to visit
Aluta visited on 9th Jun 2015 - their rating: Amb: 4 Access: 5 Beautiful spot, but it was unclear whether the stones were ever part of an ancient site. Still, it's worth a visit, since perhaps they were, and anyway, there are beautiful views from up on the hill, and a tranquil feel to the area.
gritstone have visited here
This single stone to the south is a slim specimen that leans heavily to the east and, when vertical, would have stood at 1.2m. The stone and the ground around it bear the hallmarks of later adaptation to a gate post. Firstly on its north face two hinge settings have been carved, and secondly this stone appears to mark the southern edge of a narrow levelled entrance to the previously enclosed field to the west. Approximately two metres north of the stone the levelled area ends and a low bank starts (the line of the former wall).
The ‘genuine’ stone pair (iv and v) stand about 300m further north, with the other two possible stones (ii and iii) in between.
All five of these standing stones could be said to mark the trackway that is Minn End Lane but also appear to have been used as gateposts, forming the entrances to a once enclosed field. However the antiquity of the middle two stones can be thrown into doubt immediately with their lack of lean, ‘freshness’ and carving suggesting that they are far more recent additions than the other three.
If the visitor looks carefully then a line of rubble can be traced linking the three now redundant entrances parallel to the lane. Historical Ordnance Survey maps confirm the evidence of a fully enclosed field on the western side of the track (currently between the two iron gates). The 1910 map of the area shows the lost field boundary which enclosed an area of just over 11 acres.
The question is, of the six stones that were needed to make the gate post pairs were the three Bronze Age ones already perfectly placed or were they moved a little from their original positions to save money, time and labour? Perhaps the answer lies in the lean. Only the three scheduled prehistoric ones are not truly upright implying that they were perhaps left in their original position. As for the other two, they do appear to be more modern but it does seem strange that someone should remove all the other stone along the line of what was quite obviously once a dry-stone wall, leaving only those five.
All that aside, the current location of each of the stones is perfect. This saddle is ideally placed to take in superb views to the east covering the Peak District, the Dane Valley, The Roaches and Hen Cloud and to the west across the Cheshire Plain, Bosley Cloud and Croker Hill. With such imposing vistas it is easy to see why our ancestors constructed so many ritual monuments on the Pennine fringe.
Access
The stones are best approached on foot along Minn End Lane (an unclassified track) which follows the spine, separating Bosley Minn from Wincle Minn. If you are looking for the shortest route then Minn End Lane should be accessed from the south (having turned off the A523(T) Macclesfield to Leek road at NGR: SJ928642). The lane can be taken as far as the properties in the Hawkslee area where (with permission) you may be able to park.
Follow the winding path north for around 500m until you come to an iron gate. The first leaning standing stone is located a few metres on, to the left of the path – you can’t miss it! To find the other two genuine standing stones continue along the metalled lane (passing the two obvious more modern looking gate posts which you will shortly encounter) until you come across another two leaning stones on your left, just before the second iron gate. These stones are again unmissable.
References
Cheshire County Sites and Monuments Record
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