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Standing stone 100m north east of The Old Lighthouse, Lundy

A Scheduled Monument in Area not comprised in any Parish-Lundy Island, Devon

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Coordinates

Latitude: 51.1679 / 51°10'4"N

Longitude: -4.6722 / 4°40'20"W

OS Eastings: 213272.281503

OS Northings: 144356.712151

OS Grid: SS132443

Mapcode National: GBR GTVL.LLJ

Mapcode Global: VH2S3.YXV2

Entry Name: Standing stone 100m north east of The Old Lighthouse, Lundy

Scheduled Date: 10 June 1998

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1015928

English Heritage Legacy ID: 27621

County: Devon

Civil Parish: Area not comprised in any Parish-Lundy Island

Traditional County: Devon

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Devon

Church of England Parish: Lundy

Church of England Diocese: Exeter

Details

The monument includes a standing stone 100m north east of The Old Lighthouse,Lundy.It is one of the nine standing stones which have been recorded on Lundy,all of which are to be found across the southern part of the island.The stone is of local granite and measures 1.45m high,0.75m wide and 0.4m thick.It is aligned north east to south west.It is not earthfast but secured upright by small stones packed beneath and around the base.

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

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.The standing stone close to the top of Beacon Hill,100m north east of The Old Lighthouse,survives well in its original position.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.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Farrah, R W E, The Megalithic Astronomy of Lundy, (1991), 57

Source: Historic England

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