Details

The monument includes a carved gritstone rock, totally covered in ivy. It is
situated in Shipley, in Crowgill Park, west of the small pavilion belonging to
the bowling green. It is at the south side of the east-west path at the south
side of the green, c.23m from the wall round the small pavilion, and 9m south
east of the top of a flight of stone steps. It is at the edge of the path, at
the west end of an old quarry face, and east of a small group of Wellingtonia
trees. An accurate National Grid Reference is SE 14484 37520. As the rock is
totally ivy-covered, it is difficult to locate, but its dimensions are
apparent to the touch. It measures 1.4m by 0.8m by 0.5m.
The carving consists of at least 13 cups, many of them connected in pairs by
short grooves.

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.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Prehistoric rock art is found on natural rock outcrops in many areas of upland
Britain. It is especially common in the north of England in Northumberland,
Durham and North and West Yorkshire. The most common form of decoration is the
`cup and ring' marking where expanses of small cup-like hollows are pecked
into the surface of the rock. These cups may be surrounded by one or more
`rings'. Single pecked lines extending from the cup through the `rings' may
also exist, providing the design with a `tail'. Other shapes and patterns also
occur, but are less frequent. Carvings may occur singly, in small groups, or
may cover extensive areas of rock surface. They date to the Late Neolithic and
Bronze Age periods (2800-c.500 BC) and provide one of our most important
insights into prehistoric `art'. The exact meaning of the designs remains
unknown, but they may be interpreted as sacred or religious symbols.
Frequently they are found close to contemporary burial monuments and the
symbols are also found on portable stones placed directly next to burials or
incorporated in burial mounds. Around 800 examples of prehistoric rock-art
have been recorded in England. This is unlikely to be a realistic reflection
of the number carved in prehistory. Many will have been overgrown or destroyed
in activities such as quarrying. All positively identified prehistoric rock
art sites exhibiting a significant group of designs will normally be
identified as nationally important.

The carving on this rock survives well and forms an important part of the
prehistoric landscape of the Shipley area, being one of several outliers from
the main concentration of carved rocks on Baildon Moor.

Source: Historic England