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Nine Stones Close
Nine Stones Close, Derbyshire, showing the four stones that remain.jpg
Nine Stones Close is located in Derbyshire
Nine Stones Close
Location in Derbyshire
Location Derbyshire
Coordinates 53°09′38″N 1°39′52″W / 53.1604574°N 1.6644407°W / 53.1604574; -1.6644407
Type Stone circle
History
Periods Bronze Age

Nine Stones Close (also called Nine Stone Close) is an ancient stone circle. It was built during the Bronze Age, a time long ago when people used bronze tools. You can find it near Winster in Derbyshire, England. Some people also call this special place the Grey Ladies.

What is Nine Stones Close?

Nine Stones Close is a small stone circle. It sits on the edge of Harthill Moor in Derbyshire. This area is full of amazing prehistoric sites. These include ancient burial mounds called barrows and old settlement areas.

Today, you can see four tall stones still standing upright. These stones were once part of a much larger circle. The original circle was about 30 meters (almost 100 feet) wide. Many other stones were taken away in the 1700s and 1800s. One of these old stones is now used as a large gatepost nearby!

How Many Stones Were There?

It's not clear if there were ever exactly nine stones. One idea is that "nine" might come from the word "noon." Local stories say that fairies would gather at this spot to dance at noon.

Discoveries at the Site

Archaeologists have dug at Nine Stones Close several times. They did excavations in 1847, 1877, and 1939. During these digs, they found flints (sharp stone tools) and pieces of broken pottery. These finds helped them figure out that the monument was built during the Bronze Age.

Nine Stones Close, Derbyshire; removed upright in field gate
One of the original stones, now used as a gatepost.

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