Green Hill Pasture stone circle

Description

Green Hill Pasture stone circle MYD55371 (c) YDNPA, 2023

This stone circle is probably of Bronze Age date. It is unusual in appearance, being made up of a selection of natural low boulders rather than upright stones. Several appear to lie just beneath the turf and are almost buried by sediment and none of them project far above the surface of the earth. The circle is about 8 metres in diameter and barely noticeable when the grass and thistles are long. Just to the south is another stone feature (MYD53196), a tight semi-circle of five or more smaller earth fast stones, similarly half buried in sediment. This structure is approximately 2 metres across from end to end, though more may lie beneath the turf. There are few stone circles in this part of the Pennines, but those that do exist appear to draw on a strong cultural tradition of using natural, unmodified stones and small boulders to create structures which are much smaller than the classic stone circles found elsewhere in upland Britain.

The circle lies in a shallow dry valley pitted with shake holes, larger swallow holes and the dry stony bed of a stream which only shows in very heavy rain. It is similar to the Yockenthwaite stone circle in its proximity to a stream bed. Views to the south along the shallow valley are dominated by Barden Moor. Interestingly if one approaches the boulder circle from the north the sight of Simon’s Seat, the tallest and most dramatic peak in the area, dramatically swings into view just before passing the rim of the circle into the centre.

Green Hill Pasture stone circle MYD55371 (c) YDNPA, 2023