The Bridestones (near Congleton)

By Sarah Griffiths on Jan 20, 09 01:03 PM in Before 1500

Cheshire's only significant Neolithic feature is situated on the Cheshire and Staffordshire border near Congleton. The remnants of this high status Stone Age burial cairn are now limited to a few stones, but it is still considered to be of national importance.

A number of theories have emerged about the origins of the name. It could have had some connection with the Old English word 'briddes' meaning birds, or Brigantia (a Celtic goddess). Another version attributes it to the murder of a newly married couple and the placing of stones around their grave.

The cairn was originally around 100 metres in length and 11m wide with one large burial chamber and two subsidiary ones nearby. It had an unusual feature in that the stone dividing the main burial chamber had a port hole through which a person could crawl. The monument was encircled by stones and written evidence exists from the mid-eighteenth century, which reveals around six of these stones were still standing at that time. However, shortly afterwards, large quantities of stone from the site was used for the building of a local turnpike road and this was followed by further removals for a variety of construction projects.

The remnants of the monument subsequently suffered from vandalism, especially in the nineteenth century when a picnic fire and a demonstration of explosives caused the largest stones to split. Archaeological excavations took place in the 1930s and attempts were made to restore the site. Despite these attempts, only one compartment of the burial chamber is visible today, together with two portal stones.

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