Standing Stone: OS grid reference – SD 8803 4316
Also Known as:
- Lark Hill Stone
From Foulridge go west up the long windy road (B6251) till you hit the old crossroads near the top. Turn right and go on till you hit the modernised farmhouse on your right, where you’ll notice a modern upright stone in the entrance. You need to go back about 70 yards and you’ll see this old stone in the wall.
Archaeology & History
Less than a mile northwest of Foulridge along the southern stretch of the Whitemoor Reservoir, on the northern outskirts of Colne, we find the intriguingly-named ‘Standing Stone Lane’ — which seems to indicate that at some time in the not-too-distant past, an old monolith could be found hereabouts. The old maps show the boundary line turning at right angles just near the crossroads, which is where I thought we might locate some remains of an old standing stone. But it wasn’t to be. Instead, we need to travel about 100 yards west along the single-track road, just below the reservoir — and there, in the walling, plain for all to see, is what may be the old standing stone which gave the road its name. I found this site in early July 2008, and although we can’t be 100% certain, it’s not too bad a good contender as the monolith which first gave the road its name. Does anyone know anymore about it?
More probably though (and this is what ‘feels’ right): the original stone which gave the road its name was much bigger than this little thing, but was probably destroyed when the reservoir here was constructed. How much d’ y’ wanna bet!?
© Paul Bennett, The Northern Antiquarian
Well done Paul! You seem to have found a long lost stone:
The name ‘Standing Stone Gate’ refers to the road that was once part of the boundary between Blackburnshire and Craven, or as it was in more recent times the boundary between Lancashire and the former West Ridding of Yorkshire. The boundary stone was the Standing Stone on Harrock, now lost, that may have had its origins in far more ancient times.
For more info’ see: ‘Valley of the Drawn Sword’, John A. Clayton.Barrowford Press. 2006. ISBN 0-9553821-0-6
Hi John –
Thanks for the extra info. Hugely appreciated! A friend from Colne-way told me about the ‘Valley of the Drawn Sword’ work last year, which I’ve yet to get a copy of. If it’s got info like this hidden in its pages, it’s gonna be well up my street.
Do you have any more info about “the standing stone on Harrock” which you mention? Where was it? Could you add it to TNA?
Cheers – Paul